Healthcare Leadership Role

Overview

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) is a leading provider of services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness, and traumatic brain injury. As a mission-driven organization, we are committed to empowering individuals to reach their full potential and thrive in their communities.

Job Summary

The Director of Nursing is a key leadership position responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality healthcare services to individuals supported by FREE. Reporting to the Sr. Vice President of Nursing, this role oversees all nursing practices and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and agency policies.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the delivery of quality medical services based on individual needs and in accordance with OPWDD, DOH, OMH, and other New York State and Federal regulations.
• Ensure appropriate nursing support is available to residences/programs and allocate nursing hours based on program/individual needs.
• Address medical emergencies in accordance with regulations and agency policies, ensuring timely notification and communication to team members, family members, administration, and other providers.
• Advocate on behalf of individuals as necessary.
• Report possible violations of individuals' rights promptly and complete incident reports in accordance with New York State OPWDD regulations and Agency policy.
• Ensure protective and preventive measures are utilized by nursing staff to control communicable and infectious diseases and conditions in the environment.
• Identify complex problems, review related information, and develop and evaluate options to implement solutions.
• Consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Manage change in integrated healthcare delivery systems, such as work restructuring, technological innovations, and shifts in the focus of care.
• Possess and use general business operations knowledge to guide the team and program, ensuring successful servicing of individuals supported.
• Manage personnel by supervising, training, evaluating, and observing assigned team members, conducting monthly support meetings.
• Interview, hire, develop, and retain high-quality staff.
• Ensure all team members in programs are fulfilling their roles and responsibilities, providing supervision and guidance on an ongoing basis.
• Communicate information to nursing staff on agency updates, new or revised policies, and OPWDD, DOH, and OMH directives.
• Ensure all nursing staff communicates relevant information to program supervisors in a timely manner.
• Ensure all nursing team members receive required training, providing training to employees across the agency on healthcare-related topics as requested.
• Ensure nursing team members provide necessary in-service training to employees and management on individuals' specific medical conditions/healthcare needs and other topics.
• Ensure changes in health needs of individuals are addressed in a timely manner by providing or identifying resources for condition-specific staff training and/or medical care.
• Review individuals' records, incident reports, medication occurrences, in-service training records, infection control reports, and other documentation to validate nursing services, counseling and/or re-training staff as needed.
• Ensure training for all employees in OSHA regulations, diagnostic protocols, and be available to consult/counsel and refer employees for medical treatment when they have had a possible exposure in consultation with Human Resources and the Medical Director.
• Attend and participate in workshops and seminars, encouraging staff participation in continuing education, lifelong learning, and professional organization membership.
• Participate in internal/external surveys/audits as needed, reviewing plans of action regarding these surveys and following through on all recommendations in a corrective manner.
• Assist with completing POCA reports as requested and submit within stated time frames.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures, training curricula, and other initiatives as requested.
• Assist in planning new programs and screen program participants for new and existing programs as needed.
• Participate in formulating, updating, reviewing, and directing the implementation of written clinical policies and procedures.
• Oversee, recommend, and evaluate the nursing services in each residential program.
• Schedule regular visits to individuals in need of acute and long-term rehabilitative services.
• Communicate agency, program, staff, and individuals' needs/concerns to the Nursing Admin.
• Partner with other teams and the administration to implement policy that promotes nursing best practices in residences/programs.
• Create and maintain a high-performance environment characterized by positive leadership, strong teamwork, and a focus on outcomes.
• Ensure TB screening dates are available to all employees, be available to consult with and refer employees who have a PPD conversion.
• Report and identify problems and suggest solutions to improve working/environment conditions.
• Remain on-call 24/7 for medical emergencies, providing supervision, guidance, or coverage as needed.
• Maintain ongoing communication with day/residential/work programs, families, providers of the individuals, and others involved with the program as well as the individual.
• Participate in investigations into incidents occurring within the assigned programs as requested, maintaining confidentiality in regard to such investigations.
• Ensure all guidelines, regulations, and standards are followed.
• Provide accurate and concise information regarding individual functioning and/or difficulties to team members and providers.
• Ensure all required documentation (paper and electronic) is completed/processed appropriately, in a timely manner, and meets quality and compliance thresholds.

Qualifications

• Education: Associate Degree in Nursing required, Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of five years of experience as a nurse, at least three years of supervisory experience, previous OPWDD nursing experience preferred.
• Specialized Training, Licenses, Certifications: Current Registered Professional Nurse License.
• Knowledge, Skills, Competencies, and Abilities: Strong familiarity with federal, state, and local regulations governing healthcare; must be knowledgeable of nursing and medical practices and procedures; computer literacy required; familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite; decision-making and problem-solving skills a must; must be efficient, well-organized, and have excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to work in a team environment with flexibility, keeping others informed and anticipating needs is essential.
• Other Requirements: Must be personable, enthusiastic, and resourceful; flexible hours required; valid NYS Driver's License and satisfy criteria to be a driver for the organization.

Work Environment

This role is performed in-person, with some travel between FREE Network locations.

Physical Requirements

• Employee is required to sit, walk, and stand for prolonged periods (at least 8 hours).
• Employee is required to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Employee is required to operate standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, fax, and filing cabinets.
• Employee is required to reach with hands and arms.
• Employee is required to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, or stand on a stool as needed.
• Employee is required to be able to lift 50 pounds at a time.

Notwithstanding the above listed physical requirements of this position, FREE will provide reasonable accommodations to allow employees to perform the essential functions of the position, provided such reasonable accommodations do not cause undue hardship on FREE.