Hybrid Director of Resident Care presso Francis House, Inc.

Description

Francis House Mission and CORE Values “Francis House provides a home and extended family to persons with terminal illnesses so they can die with dignity surrounded by the unconditional love of God.” We will use our lived experience as a resource for others. Our CORE Values are Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, Dignity.

Position Summary: Provides executive level direction and leadership to staff involved with the care of our residents to ensure the highest level of care at the end of life. Provides strategic vision for clinical care through the development of ideas, projects, mentoring and providing solutions to unforeseen challenges and circumstances. The Director of Resident Care is ultimately responsible for the safety and care of the residents, providing both care and comfort to residents and their families. 

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities: (Additional duties may be assigned)

• Manages the screening process of referrals for admission to Francis House. Collaborates with hospital discharge planners, social workers and palliative care personnel. Trains and assigns nursing staff in the essential screening process. Selects patients for admission based on the established screening process and supervises all resident admissions. 
• Oversees the care of Francis House residents in collaboration with Hospice clinicians to ensure the best care for residents utilizing state of the art concepts and practices for end-of-life care. Provide oversight to staff about the needs of residents and maintain compliance with all regulatory standards. 
• Manage the overall delivery of caregiving and coordination of resident’s health care needs while assuring that they are treated with respect and dignity. Oversees healthcare staff to ensure safe and appropriate care is provided. Seeks input, reviews concerns and shares professional education to optimize communication with caregivers and other staff. 
• Counsels, educates, mentors and develops staff while encouraging their professional and personal development. Develops ongoing training of staff to comply with current community needs and conditions. Communicates to staff the unique mission of Francis House and is responsible of staff adherence to the mission as well as all policies and procedures. Ensures that all legal guidelines and HIPPA standards are communicated and followed. 
• Maintains accurate healthcare records so that any problem, plan of care, action or goal are accurately and clearly stated. Changes are reflected as they occur and medical staff as well as family members are updated if necessary. 
• Is responsible to ensure infection protocols are communicated and performed according to local, state and federal infection control guidelines and mandates to ensure the safety of residents and staff. Ensure durable medical supplies and medications are available for residents. Ensures an adequate supply of PPE is available for staff and that they are being used correctly.
• Creates and implements procedures for the safe administration of medications and other treatments.
• Develops an annual budget, tracks expenditures and provides sound financial stewardship of Francis House resources while maintaining a high level of care. Projects staffing needs to meet Francis House care goals. 
• Represent Francis House at various community and social functions.

Requirements

Resident Care/Service Accountabilities: 

• Support the organization’s mission, vision and values.
• Demonstrate a commitment to Francis House philosophy of care.
• Demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of death, dying, bereavement, ethical issues and palliative care.
• Comply with the health and safety requirements of federal, state and local laws.
• Maintain organization and client confidentiality at all times.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position supervises the caregivers, assistant care coordinator, on-call administrators and assessment coordinator. Supervisory responsibilities include recruiting, interviewing and hiring; instructing and training in work methods; planning, scheduling and assigning work; checking and approving work; conducting performance evaluations; determining disciplinary actions regarding unsatisfactory employees; and making final decision to terminate unsatisfactory employees.

Education and Experience: 

• Master’s degree in nursing.
• Registered nurse in New York State. 
• Five to eight years’ experience in professional nursing in a hospital, hospice, homecare, or nursing home environment.

Special Requirements: 

• Valid NYS drivers’ license required.
• Occasional local travel during regular work hours.
• Shift work.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Basic computer skills including the ability to send/receive e-mail messages and perform basic word processing and/or data entry.
• Ability to work with and function as a team member at all levels within the organization. Participates in policy and decision making as well as ongoing development of goals.  
• Ability to respect the dignity of all who serve and are served.
• Ability to represent Francis House effectively in a variety of settings and with diverse communities.
• Ability to educate residents and/or families as to the nature of disease and to provide instruction on proper care and treatment.
• Demonstrated skill in nursing practice, ability to cope with family emotional stress and tolerance of individual lifestyles.
• Ability to observe, assess and record symptoms, reactions and progress.
• Ability to develop, implement and modify multidisciplinary healthcare plans.
• Knowledge of patient care charts and patient histories.
• Ability to make administrative/procedural decisions and judgments.
• Knowledge of clinical and social services documentation procedures and standards.

Equipment Used: 

Computer, printer, photocopier, telephone, fax machine, calculator, scanner and a variety of medical equipment and instruments including, but not limited to hoyer lift, stretcher bed and wheelchair.

Computer Software: Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel.

Safety Equipment: Work environment involves exposure to potentially infectious diseases and tasks that require the use of latex or vinyl protective gloves, gown and mask.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, use hands to finger, grasp, handle or feel, and perform repetitive motions of the hands and/or wrists; push, pull, reach, stoop, bend, kneel and climb.
• Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently or constantly to move objects.
• Close mental and visual attention required to perform machine operations and set up, read, and document resident information.

Environmental Conditions:

Work is performed in a typical medical environment. Duties include handling garbage or soiled linen. There is substantial exposure to blood, body fluids and/or pathogens, infectious diseases, unpleasant odors and hazardous materials that require following extensive safety precautions and include the use of protective equipment.