Acute Care Nursing Director

Employment Type:

Shift:

Description:

POSITION PURPOSE 

Provides leadership, accountability and responsibility for the entire scope of Acute Care Services for MercyOne Medical Center, MercyOne West Des Moines, Centerville and Newton.  Operational responsibilities include budgeting, strategic planning, patient care management and integration and achieve organizational goals.  Acts as a role model and change agent by initiating and accepting changes for improved patient care and cost reductions. Maintains active communication and collaborates with senior leadership, physicians, leaders, and staff to meet specialty, departmental and organizational goals. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Knows, understands, incorporates, and demonstrates the Trinity Health Mission, Vision, and Values in behaviors, practices, and decisions.  

• Demonstrates leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and teamwork when facilitating clinical standard and operational decisions and resolving issues.  Demonstrates leadership competencies of team building, vision creation, and influence. Incorporates change leadership strategies through building a compelling vision, understanding the perspectives of the stakeholders, identification for tactics to elicit commitment and address resistance. 

• Utilizes data to identify opportunities for clinical variation, understands graphical representations of data, and applies project-oriented expertise in identifying leading and lagging metrics for implementation effectiveness, and data plans. Demonstrates data-driven approach for project prioritization and strategies. 

• Improves the quality and effectiveness of the ministry's overall health care initiatives by providing leadership and operational direction.  

• Collaborates and partners with other leaders for strategic planning, decision-making, and problem solving about health care services and organizational priorities. 

• Develops resource utilization strategies to improve organizational performance. Strategies reflect the changing societal and health care environments and the economic climate. 

• Advocates for clinical and business innovations that address needs, policy changes, workforce management, education which align with the organizational strategy and national priorities. 

• Maintains a working knowledge of applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations, including The Joint Commission, Trinity Health’s Organizational Integrity Program, Standards of Conduct, as well as other policies and procedures in order to ensure adherence in a manner that reflects honest, ethical, and professional behavior. 

• Assumes responsibility and accountability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

• Develops an annual operational plan (including scope of service) in conjunction with the Chief Nursing Officer to integrate with MercyOne’s strategic plan and other related departments’ operational plans in order to efficiently provide services. 

• Develops, implements and periodically reviews all policies and procedures that guide and support the assigned services. These include, but are not limited to, TJC requirements, federal and state regulations, regulatory standards, including safety policies and practices. 

• Continuously assesses and improves the department’s performance based on, but not limited to, the department’s quality plan monitors and customer/employee satisfaction data. 

• Develops and maintains departmental staffing plan for all departments supervised, detailing appropriate employee classifications and qualifications consistent with the department’s operational plan, projected volumes, and other relevant productivity indicators.  Participates in human resource planning providing recommendations for staffing, proactive recruitment, retention and long-term needs.  Ensures compliance with staffing plan. 

• Supervises assigned management staff.  Provides necessary education, orientation and support to management team.  

• Develops annual operating and capital budgets, monitors and analyzes performance and productivity and implements necessary corrective plans.  Collaborates with other departments in budget preparation, determining capital priorities, monitoring and analyzing trends.  Utilizes budget information in management decision-making. 

• Maintains open and positive communication with senior leadership, physicians, staff, hospital leaders and others. 

• Is knowledgeable and remains current in standards of treatment.  Integrates new practice standards with education and written standards. 

• Collects, monitors, and interprets data to improve systems that will measure and document outcomes of service, financial, and student satisfaction.  Uses national benchmarks for comparative measurements. 

• Participates in marketing strategies to promote new or existing services. 

• Remains current in legislative and regulatory changes, participating and providing leadership in creating changes to improve the health of the community.  

• Knowledgeable and current in nursing standards of treatment. Integrates new practice standards with education and written standards. Mentors and coaches management and staff through change. 

• Participates in disaster response as assigned. 

• Identifies opportunities for improvement, problem solving skills and implementation of performance improvement.  

• Provides overall leadership in developing annual department goals consistent with the organization’s strategic plans. 

• Improves the health of the community through education of individual patients and/or programs.   

• Aligns acute care services across the market. 

• Determine strategy to standardize clinical performance across the market based on ANA standards. 

• Implement new care models utilizing digital technology. 

• Participates in national professional related organizations to ensure current knowledge. 

• Conducts interviews with prospective employees; works with Human Resources in hiring new personnel. 

• Performs other responsibilities as requested by the Chief Nursing Officer. 

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES     

As a MercyOne Trinity Health Leader, the incumbent is expected to demonstrate leadership traits which support our Mission Statement and Core Values as identified below:  

Mission Statement:  We, MercyOne Trinity Health, serve together in the spirit of the Gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities. 

Core Values: 

• Reverence:  We honor the sacredness and dignity of every person. 

• Commitment to Those who are Poor:  We stand with and serve those who are poor, especially those most vulnerable. 

• Safety: We embrace a culture that prevents harm and nurtures a healing, safe environment for all.  

• Justice:  We foster right relationships to promote the common good, including sustainability of Earth. 

• Stewardship:  We honor our heritage and hold ourselves accountable for the human, financial and natural resources entrusted to our care. 

• Integrity: We are faithful to those we say we are. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Possession of a current or compact state license as a registered nurse issued/defined by the State of Iowa.   

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing required.   

• Master’s degree required. 

• PCCN (Adult) or Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (MEDSURG-BC) certification required or achieved within 6 months in this role. 

• BLS and ACLS certification required.   

• Proof of completion of Iowa’s Mandatory reporter abuse training specific to population served with three (3) months of hire.  

• 5 years previous experience in large, complex Acute Care hospital at a director level or equivalent. 

• 3 years previous clinical experience required. 

• Must possess excellent verbal and written communications skills, presentation skills, advanced analytical skills, be well organized and maintain a highly professional manner and appearance. 

• Strong interpersonal, consultative and relationship building skills in order to initiate and develop productive collaborative partnership with all levels of leadership across the organization.  Ability to effectively influence results, garner support and tactfully manage complex relationships within and across the organization.  Extremely high level of diplomacy and tact are required.  Ability to read the subtle nuances of situation and react/plan accordingly. 

• Must be comfortable operating in a collaborative, shared leadership environment.  

• Must possess a personal presence that is characterized by a sense of honesty, integrity, and caring with the ability to inspire and motivate others to promote the philosophy, mission, vision, goals, and values of Trinity Health.  

Our Commitment

Rooted in our Mission and Core Values, we honor the dignity of every person and recognize the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents each colleague brings. By finding common ground and embracing our differences, we grow stronger together and deliver more compassionate, person-centered care. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.