Nurse Manager

At Houston Methodist, the Manager Nursing position is responsible for 24-hour comprehensive operational responsibility for the delivery and quality of patient care provided in the designated areas(s) of responsibility. This registered nurse position fosters interdepartmental/interprofessional collaboration. The Manager, Nursing position participates in committees, representing unit and Nursing in a positive manner.The position assists with developing and implementing performance initiatives, ensuring optimal patient safety, outcomes and customer satisfaction. This position demonstrates leadership qualities and critical thinking through self-direction, initiative, effective interpersonal skills and oral/written communications skills.

The manager position responsibilities include managing the daily work activities of the work unit/department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence and efficiency while assisting management in accomplishing strategic and operational objectives. In addition, this position provides guidance to staff and is responsible for staffing, budget compliance, contributing to staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work related performance, and assisting in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment. This position also implements training, monitoring and operations initiatives that secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/ government regulations.

• Performs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees in the department. Provides development and mentoring of staff. Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover. Develops direct reports to perform these same functions.

• Provides fair and consistent leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting regular department meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all employees, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem.

• Facilitates and promotes effective team dynamics and teambuilding strategies within and between departments; participates and/or leads and facilitates department process improvements as needed.

• Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators: action readiness score, tier level.

• Establishes effective, two way communication with staff, demonstrating active listening, requesting and acknowledging feedback, making equitable decisions, providing rationale when appropriate, and supporting organizational goals. Coaches staff to use efficient and effective communication to establish and maintain a team environment, and to include the patient and family as a part of the team regarding their plan of care. Assists staff with stress management practices.

• Plans and organizes day-to-day department operations, schedule and activities. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.

• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the department.

• Serves as role model to staff, reinforcing principles of service orientation and ensuring that the focus is always on improving patient care and/or services, effectively resolve concerns, complaints or conflict with patients, families, physicians and other interprofessional health care team members, taking appropriate action and channeling concerns according to appropriate procedures.

• Maintains ongoing interactions with patients, families, physicians, and staff on how to improve patient care and service provided. Practices in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles.

• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines, including infection control principles. Monitors and confirms staff maintain their required credentials that demonstrate competency per accrediting agency or department guidelines as applicable.

• Uses and optimizes information systems to enhance operations; supports entity-specific performance improvement and data management/analysis functions.

• Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes by monitoring and improving the department workflow, using peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses and/or adverse events immediately and identifying solutions via collaboration. Adopts lean principles in driving process improvements. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.

• Monitors self and employee compliance with policies, procedures, and System HR Standards of Practice and performs associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., focal point review requirements, disaster plan, in-services, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).

• Prepares measurable goals and objectives that are consistent with Houston Methodist priorities, and develops action plans for achieving goals, incorporating collaborative efforts when appropriate.

• Assists in the development of department budget and ensures that the department operates in a cost effective manner. Manages/audits department expenses within approved budget parameters, ensuring that the department meets the budgeted/flex revenue and/or expense targets on a monthly and annual basis. Develops staffing plans and schedules to meet department/patient care needs that reflect understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.

• Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and staffing needs, developing others to do the same, through optimizing productivity, supply/resource efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime and overtime percentage, and other areas according to department specifications.

• Plans coverage of unit to maximize presence of management and staff. Develops staffing plans and schedules to meet department/patient care needs that reflect understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.

• Identifies and implements innovative solutions for practice or workflow changes to improve department operations or other department-specific measures by leading unit projects and/or other department/system directed shared governance activities. Supports change initiatives, maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements or cultures.

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