The Director Nursing CAH provides nursing leadership and oversight for the ECU units under the direction of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). This role is responsible for maintaining standards of care, ensuring compliance with EMTALA requirements, supporting quality patient outcomes, and providing effective leadership to nursing staff. The Director works closely with Patient Care Services, physicians, and department leaders to support staffing, employee development, emergency preparedness, safety initiatives, education, policy development, and overall nursing operations.
Key Responsibilities Provide leadership and serve as a role model for the nursing department and ECU staff. Establish and implement standards of care specific to the ECU. Ensure compliance with EMTALA, hospital policies, nursing standards, infection control, emergency preparedness, and safety regulations.
Support initiatives focused on improving patient outcomes, quality, safety, and patient satisfaction. Participate as an active member of the hospital Safety Committee. Assist with emergency and disaster planning and preparedness activities.
Coordinate staff education, training, cross-training, and team-building initiatives. Support recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, development, evaluation, and performance management of ECU staff. Ensure appropriate staffing levels based on patient acuity, census, nurse-to-patient ratios, employee expertise, and unit needs.
Monitor staffing schedules and make adjustments as needed to maintain safe and effective patient care. Participate in developing the annual budget and manage labor, supply, and overtime expenses responsibly. Hold regular unit meetings and communicate organizational and departmental changes to staff.
Promote accountability, employee engagement, teamwork, and professional development. Assist with patient placement and transfers based on diagnosis, condition, required services, infection potential, and age-specific needs. Monitor patient care, documentation, medication administration, treatments, and patient outcomes.
Recognize and appropriately respond to life-threatening events and changes in patient condition. Conduct regular patient and unit rounds, review charts, identify concerns, and take appropriate corrective action. Support patient education, discharge planning, and individualized nursing care.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation and ensure physician orders are appropriately transcribed and carried out. Serve as the designated administrative representative in the CNO's absence, as assigned. Maintain professional growth through continuing education, seminars, professional journals, and postgraduate study.
Assist with identifying operational needs, grant writing, policy development, and implementation initiatives. Qualifications Required Graduate of an approved school of nursing. Current nursing license in the applicable state.
Minimum of two years of nursing experience as a staff nurse. Minimum of two years of management or supervisory experience. Demonstrated management and leadership ability.
Preferred - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or commitment to achieve a BSN. What We're Looking For The ideal candidate demonstrates strong leadership, communication, teamwork, accountability, and a commitment to quality patient care. This individual should be dependable, organized, and able to collaborate effectively with physicians, nursing leaders, staff, and other departments while maintaining patient advocacy and confidentiality.