Clinical Nurse Manager, Brockton Behavioral Health Center, 40 Hours (Days)

POSITION SUMMARY:

In collaboration with members of the health care team ensures coordination of psychiatric patient care through the development and use of patient care and practice standards. Ensures that desired patient outcomes are optimally achieved and that variances from established parameters are evaluated and addressed as necessary. Reports directly to the Patient Care Director.

Responsible for the planning and implementation of the clinical based activities. Will identify opportunities for improvement, establish expectations, seek solutions and establish monitoring and evaluating strategies. Performs the quality review process in compliance with performance improvement plan, regulations and standards.

Position: Clinical Nurse Manager

Department: Brockton Behavioral Health Center

Schedule: 40 Hours (Days)

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

Clinical Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the health care team, directs, coordinates, supervises and provides clinical care to patients, which may include:

  • Providing direct care to patients and families with complex or specialized needs

  • Develops and sustains an environment that supports excellence in clinical practice through planning and implementing programs that contribute to positive patient outcomes

  • Assures appropriate skill mix to provide quality care, considering fluctuations in unit(s) activity and acuity levels.

  • Coordinating interdisciplinary communication, e.g., patient care conferences and/or team meetings, based on data reflective of specific patient needs

  • Collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to develop, revise and update clinical priorities and care management plans.

  • Sets priorities for appropriate and efficient management of patient care that reflects cost effective management of time, available human resources, supplies, and equipment.

  • Maintains interdisciplinary approach to planning and communicating.

  • Demonstrates awareness of community resources and assists staff, patients, and families to effectively utilize them.

  • Conducts regular staff meetings in collaboration with the clinical leadership team

  • Provides the opportunity for staff to be involved in unit-based strategic planning, development of policies and procedures, and quality improvement activities

  • Serves as a resource/mentor to staff regarding professional development encouraging continuing education, formal study, and individual learning opportunities as appropriate.

  • Encourages staff participation in professional organizations and attainment of specialty certification.

  • Remains current regarding standards of care established by the department, the profession, and regulatory agencies.

  • Supports and implements the hospital’s Risk Management program through the timely and accurate completion of employee injury reports, incident reports, and other required paperwork; conducts follow-up investigation and initiates corrective action as needed.

Management – Clinical Staff

• Interviews, hires, trains, supervise, evaluate performance and disciplines as necessary for clinical staff and in doing so, seeks feedback, evaluation, and guidance from the professional staff as appropriate and according to established personnel policies and procedures.

• Works collaboratively with Human Resource staff as needed.

• Ensures that hiring and supervising practices and promotion recommendation actively support the organization’s affirmative action and equal opportunity policy, and diversity statement.

• Acquires, maintains, and utilizes knowledge of current personnel polices and procedures for all clinical staff.

• Initiates timely and appropriate management interventions inclusive of coaching, counseling, and progressive discipline for the clinical staff.

• Monitors clinical performance regularly against standards and prepares and implements steps to bring clinic in conformance with those standards.

• In collaboration with the management team, develops, monitors, and revises the clinic schedule to ensure efficient patient flow in the unit/department.

• Conducts independent investigation of employee incidents involving clinical practice issues, including review of employee personnel file, discipline record, and evaluations. Imposes appropriate disciplinary action as needed.

• Recommends employees for promotion or other incentives/programs/rewards.

• Evaluates probationary employees’ work performance and recommends employment continuation or discharge.

Education – Clinical Staff

• Conducts formal and informal staff education for new and established clinical staff related to critical pathways, clinical practice guidelines/standards, and quality improvement findings

• Establishes, leads, and or participates in appropriate forums to provide programs and teaching information; seeks program effectiveness feedback

• Develops training modules as needed for the clinical staff, including competencies; conducts periodic audits to ensure compliance and quality.

• Communicates departmental goals to the clinical staff and fosters a work environment that motivates employees to achieve these goals.

Quality Improvement

• Performs ongoing evaluation of clinical outcomes of assigned caseload and identify opportunities for improvement.

• In collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, analyzes systems, trends, and critical pathway variances, and implements strategies to improve patient care/outcome. Evaluates the adherence to and effectiveness of unit-based, departmental and interdisciplinary clinical standards and programs through the establishment of quality improvement activities.

• Maximizes efficiency of operational systems by:

• Identifying opportunities for intra/inter departmental operational process improvement

• Evaluating efficiency and cost-effectiveness of multi-disciplinary and interdepartmental efforts.

• Collaboratively identifying, implementing, and evaluating strategies to improve operational systems related to targeted patient population(s).

• Evaluates the specialty service’s clinical practice in relation to patient/family satisfaction.

Fiscal Responsibilities

• Assists in the development and monitoring of annual financial goals for targeted patient populations.

• Assists in the evaluation of results relating to resource utilization before and after planned changes occur.

• Assists in the planning and implementation of strategies to improve cost-benefit for patients.

• Collaborates with appropriate departments to ensure that clinical documentation is complete, accurate and maximizes reimbursement

Professional Development

• Identifies own learning needs and assumes responsibility for maintaining current knowledge, competency, and expertise in area of specialty.

• Completes annual mandatory educational requirements, e.g., safety review, infection control standards, departmental/specialty competencies, and maintains appropriate credential status.

• Participates as a committee member and/or chairperson when requested.

• Other duties as required.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

BSN required, Master’s Degree in relevant field preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

Licensed to practice professional nursing as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required.

EXPERIENCE:

Minimum 5 years nursing experience. Must have 1+ year(s) recent clinical experience in the assigned specialty.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Knowledge of professional nursing principles, procedures, and techniques used in the care and treatment of patients in psychiatric setting

• Knowledge of State and Federal regulations that apply to the care of patients in inpatient psychiatric settings

• Knowledge of principles of crisis prevention and de-escalation

• Provides effective leadership in high-stress situations with sensitivity, tact, and diplomacy

• Broad-based health care operational experience; Demonstrated knowledge of various health systems and cost reduction strategies.

• Effective verbal and written communication skills appropriate to the patient populations served.

• Self-directed, self-starter and able to implement new programs.

• Demonstrated ability as an effective leader.

• Demonstrated ability to apply principles of adult learning to provide education to staff, physician, and auxiliary staff.

• Analytical ability to solve clinical nursing issues and conduct quality improvement and research projects.

• Organizational skills to set priorities and efficiently to complete assigned workload.

• Physical ability to meet core job responsibilities in accordance with practice setting demands for the patient populations regularly served

• Ability to manage stress due to critical patient care issues, changing organizational climate and personnel issues.

• Multi-lingual skills (beyond that of English) in languages appropriate to patient populations served by the Medical Center is highly desirable.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans