Assistant Director of Nursing

The Assistant director of nursing (ADON) is a Registered Nurse has expertise in psychiatric nursing practice and has demonstrated leadership and management skills. Who will assist in ensuring the nursing department provides consistent, attentive, and efficient care to patients. The ADON is responsible for monitoring nursing staff, nursing activities, and patient care, as well as ensuring nursing activities are in compliance with federal, state, and local standards.

Essential Duties:

• Helping to hire, train, teach, and monitor nurses.
• Managing clinical operations and developing care plans.
• Attends meetings with or in place of the CNO.
• Ensuring nursing staff follows departmental procedures and policies when managing the milieu.
• Conducting patient rounds and addressing complaints.
• Evaluating the performance of the department and recommending improvements.
• Scheduling staff meetings for patient updates, issues, and recommendations.

·         Coaching nurses to improve performance and handling discipline issues.

• Direct adjustments in unit staffing pattern to reflect changes in care requirements, patient census, and staffing resources.
• Develop the annual inpatient budget based on nursing department and Hospital direction using variance analysis, performance experience of prior years, and predictors for change.
• Support a decentralized management philosophy at the unit level by designing and supporting a system that facilitates staff involvement at the unit/clinic, clinical department, Nursing Department and Hospital level.
• Assure that unit space is utilized or altered to maximize safety and efficiency.  Collaborate with other departments to ensure unit maintenance and environmental safety.
• Promote cost effective behavior in staff through observation, education, and accountability.
• Identify and resolve complex or recurring operational problems and consult with the CNO and/or CEO when necessary.
• Assure that data submitted for the patient workload system is accurate, timely, complete, and reliable.
• Develop and provide a patient care system that encourages professional practice of staff and results in quality, cost-effective care outcomes.
• Assure that patient and family patient care is provided within established Health standards.
• Analyze clinical practice and identify opportunities to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Identify clinical indicators to measure and evaluate quality care. Assure that appropriate quality monitoring occurs on unit and that findings are used to improve practice and reduce potential for patient complications.
• Supervises and coordinates work of licensed and unlicensed personnel in a unit. Manages quality and effectiveness of care given by staff.
• Communicate on an ongoing basis with employees regarding specific performance expectations. Plan and conduct formal performance reviews that are timely, ongoing, and objective, and submit necessary documentation.
• Promote the growth of staff in areas such as teamwork, decision-making, and clinical skills by identifying strengths and weaknesses, goal setting, formal and informal learning, and coaching.
• Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards.
• Performs related duties as requested.

Job Requirements

Education and/or Licensure – Associate’s degree in nursing, Bachelor’s degree in health-related field preferred. CPR and SAMA (or obtained within 30 days upon hire). Valid Texas RN license in good standing required.

Experience – 5 years of progressive nursing management experience with demonstrated success. Current regulatory, accreditation, and Joint Commission experience. Acute psychiatric care experience required. Must be 21 years old or older.

Additional Requirements – None

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

·         Knowledgeable of patient rights and laws pertaining to mental health and regulations pertaining to psychiatric nursing and the treatment of the mentally and emotionally disturbed patients. Theories, principles, and techniques of group and individual psychotherapy. Symptoms and behavior patterns of emotionally disturbed mentally ill patients.

·         Advanced knowledge and clinical skills in diagnosis and treatment of mental health, professional nursing principles, procedures, and techniques used in the care and treatment of psychiatric patients, social, psychological, and physical factors of mental and emotional disorders, medical and psychological terminology, medications, including psychotropic drugs, and effects on psychiatric patients. Control, preparation and administration of medications.

·         Demonstrates sound leadership skills and utilizes these skills in organizing the activities and schedules for medical and/or non-medical tasks of the Child, Adolescent and Adult for a given shift; record of consistently high quality of clinical and interpersonal skills to be an exemplary role model to others

·         Displays basic knowledge of treatment procedures; interventions common to acute psychotic as well as non-violent crises intervention practice, medical and psychiatric emergency procedures.

·         Basic knowledge of abnormal psychology as typically found in the child or adolescent psychiatric population, application of this knowledge to child, adolescent or adult knowledge of medical terminology, especially those terms associated with child, adolescent or adult psychiatric care; thorough familiarity of psychopharmacy and the use of psychotropic medications with child, adolescent or adult psychiatric population, basic teaching and training skills helpful; problem-solving; organizational and time management; crisis intervention skills

·         Ability to apply professional nursing care principles and procedures in the evaluation and treatment of psychiatric patients. Develop interpersonal therapeutic relationships with psychiatric patients.

·         Must be able to work productively with other department heads and personnel.

·         Ability to work with professionals from many outside partners and organizations.

·         Usually works forty (40) hours per week, including weekends.

·         Ability to successfully manage conflict, negotiating “win-win” solutions.

·         Must be able to multi-task, prioritize with strong time management skills.

·         Exceptional follow through on tasks and assignments

·         Must possess leadership qualities and be able to supervise and secure the cooperation of staff.

Physical Requirements/Environmental Conditions

Perform the following with or without reasonable accommodations:

·         Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, grasp, and be able to perceive the attributes of objects such as size, shape, temperature, and/or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips. 

·         Ability to express and exchange ideas via spoken word during activities in which they must convey detail or important spoken instructions to others accurately, sometimes quickly and loudly.

·         Hearing to perceive the nature of sound with no less than 40 db loss @ Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz with or without correction; ability to perceive detailed information orally and make fine discriminations in sound. 

·         Perform repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and fingers. Individual must be able to exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally and to be able to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. 

·         Work requires a minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction that will enable people in the role to complete administrative and clerical tasks, as well as inspect and analyze.

·         Must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation and foot traffic; ability to handle interruptions often and be able to move from one task to another

·         While worker may possibly be subjected to temperature changes, the worker is generally not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside.

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• 401K Retirement Plan
• Healthcare Spending Account
• Dependent Care Spending Account
• PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay
• Life Insurance (Supplemental Life, Term, and Universal plans are also available.)
• Short and Long-Term Disability (with additional buy-in opportunities)