Director of Nursing Gracedale Nursing Home

Must apply on external site: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northamptoncounty

Application deadline is November 8, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST. Applicants will not be contacted until after this date. 

Pension retirement plan [20 years of service = full retirement at age 55 OR any # of years = full retirement at age 60]

Medical/Prescription/Dental/Rx all offered at one rate (% of salary)

Application Requirements

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must successfully submit a completed application prior to the posting deadline. Applications submitted with incomplete or missing education and/or work experience sections will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. These applicants will be disqualified from consideration. The attachment of a resume to the application does not fulfill this requirement and will not prevent incomplete applications from being rejected. Education and work experience fields must be completed, regardless of the presence of an attached resume.

Once the posting closes, all applications will be reviewed. The information provided on the application will be utilized to determine whether or not each applicant meets the Minimum Requirements for this position as noted in the Job Description. We encourage all applicants to provide a comprehensive, concise history of their education, certification, licensing, and employment history. Please read the Minimum Requirements thoroughly and then demonstrate that you meet these requirements on your application.

For questions regarding this posting, please contact Sherry Christman, Human Resources Analyst at schristman@norcopa.gov or 610-829-6382.

Equal Employment Opportunities – It is the policy of Northampton County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability, or any other status protected by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any other state, federal, or local law.

Job Description

GENERAL PURPOSE
The Director of Nursing position is responsible for the planning, coordination, and control of all services provided through the Nursing Department at Gracedale Nursing Home. Work includes the development and implementation of nursing service objectives, standards, staffing, and the provision of overall administrative management functions.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
This position reports directly to the Nursing Home Administrator and in his/her absence, the Assistant Nursing Home Administrator.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
This position is responsible for supervision over the following classifications: Assistant Director of Nursing, Nursing Supervisor, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Restorative Nurse Aide (RNA), and Clerical Specialist – Nursing Staffing Coordinator.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE POSITION
Identify the need for, develop, and implement nursing service policies, standards, and procedures.

Establish goals and objectives for management of the nursing service, and compare such activities against higher-level governmental requirements. Assess extent of conformance and/or deviation. Determine need for and extent of correction and/or improvements for such compliance, and overall greater effectiveness.

Review charts and other records. Analyze to identify trends, weaknesses, or employee development needs.

Respond to administrative and professional inquiries regarding nursing service including analysis of overlap with other departments. Implement new or revised standards for continued compliance with governmental requirements.

Represent the Nursing Department at meetings of standing and special committees within and outside of the facility.

Receive and review regular and special reports from nursing staff, administration, the pharmacy, specialized patient care such as Infection Control and Decubitus Care, and other elements of the facility regarding shift activities, patient census, medication usage, and control as well as other circumstances and issues affecting facility operations. Determine impact or effect on the nursing service, and take appropriate action.

Meet with professional nursing staff to discuss changes in procedures or standards, coordination with other facility departments, patient care problems including specialized care, and other operational circumstances, situations, and issues.

Meet with medical personnel to determine and assure effectiveness of patient care provided, and coordinate efforts with pharmacy, Dietary, Life Enrichment, and Social Service personnel to ensure effective patient plans of treatment.

Develop and recommend organizational structure, type and level of jobs, and staffing patterns for the nursing service. Develop budgetary information and justification for use by administrative and technical personnel.

Responsible for staffing the facility to adhere to nursing home requirements while remaining within the PPD parameters.

Supervise, through subordinate supervisory personnel, all professional, technical, and clerical nursing service personnel. Make and approve hiring decisions including internal placements for the nursing service, reviewing applications, and interviewing external candidates.

Hear and resolve employee complaints, problems, and grievances in certain circumstances, after lower level action. Make and review performance evaluations for nursing service personnel. Maintain and oversee maintenance of records, and submit reports for a variety of professional and administrative issues including medication errors, unaccounted for drugs, nursing staff turnover, and other topics of interest to facility administration, other County offices, State and/or Federal agencies.

*An employee assigned to this title shall perform a majority, but may not perform all, of the duties listed in this job description. Conversely, minor level duties performed on the job may not be listed. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE – Graduation from an accredited school of nursing which has included coursework in geriatric, rehabilitation, or a closely related field; AND

At least five (5) years of full-time professional nursing experience, two (2) years of which were supervisory in nature including responsibility for coordinating activities across organizational lines, developing and implementing procedural requirements, or similar functional assignment. Completion of a Bachelor’s degree program in nursing from an accredited college or university may be substituted for up to two (2) years of the general experience requirement; AND

Possession of a Pennsylvania Registered Nurse license.

The individual in this role must be available for on-call rotations and may be required to work evenings and weekends, as needed.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS - Applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and present valid proof of vaccinated status, in order to be eligible for hire at Gracedale Nursing Home. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people are considered fully vaccinated two (2) weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series (such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines), or two (2) weeks after a single-dose vaccine (such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine). 
 
Upon hire employee must have a drug screening and COVID-19 testing. Employees may also be periodically tested for COVID-19 as required or recommended. In addition, Gracedale Nursing Home will follow The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements with regard to booster(s) needed for workers in health care settings. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES  
Comprehensive knowledge of nursing home administration goals, objectives, policies, and procedures commonly applied to inpatient nursing home facilities, including those of higher-level government requirements.

Comprehensive knowledge of professional nursing principles, practices, methods, and techniques commonly employed at inpatient nursing home facilities.

Thorough knowledge of the goals and objectives of other departments commonly found in inpatient nursing home facilities and their interaction with the nursing service.

Thorough knowledge of principles and practices commonly employed in supervising lower level supervisory, professional, technical, and clerical personnel.

Knowledge of principles and practices of administrative management fields, such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

Ability to promote the maintenance of professional demeanor and standards among nursing service personnel.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with managerial, professional, technical, and administrative personnel, patients and their families, as well as other County agencies, government officials, representatives of social service and other related organizations, and the public.

Ability to operate a computer to enter information into and secure information from established programs.

Ability to prepare and oversee the preparation of accurate and detailed clinical, medical, and other records and reports.

Ability to express ideas and communicate County policy on professional and administrative subjects, both verbally and in writing.

Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English to perform the duties of this position.    

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Telephone, personal computer (including word processing, spreadsheet, and other specialized software), scheduling charts, blood pressure gauges, thermometers, patient records/charts, miscellaneous medical equipment, calculator, writing implements, fax machine, copy machine, and paper shredder.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk, or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. Employee may also need to reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop or kneel, crouch or crawl, and taste or smell.

The employee must possess agility and strength sufficient to lift, support, and maneuver heavy patients of limited physical capacity.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee works primarily in an office environment, but occasionally must visit all areas of the nursing home. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet while in the office, and moderately loud in patient care areas.

SELECTION GUIDELINES
Formal application, rating of education and experience, interview, and reference check, as well as job related tests, may be required. 

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

FLSA STATUS: FLSA EXEMPT (NOT ELIGIBLE FOR OVERTIME)
DESIGNATION: CAREER SERVICE
PAY GRADE: CS/GR33
UNION STATUS: NON-UNION

Updated October 2024