What is a Director of Nursing?
According to a website called “Wise Geek”:
“Director of Nursing is the title given to the nurse who performs a supervisory role for an entire nursing department, which would most often be found in a hospital or long-term care facility. A Director of Nursing is required to interact with doctors, patients, families and other nurses, making the position one of the most important in the field of nursing. Because of the great deal of responsibility that a Director of Nursing is entrusted with, those who aspire to become one, must meet certain education and experience criteria prior to obtaining a position.
A Director of Nursing is required to have a Bachelor’s Degree. Most employers prefer that the degree is in Nursing, but it is not always necessary. In addition to a four-year degree, a Director of Nursing must be able to acquire whatever licenses or certificates that are necessary for the state he or she is working in. At the very least, most Directors of Nursing will be Registered Nurses (RNs). A Master’s Degree in Public Health Administration, Nursing or a related field is not necessary, but very often desired. In addition to education, many employers require four to six years of nursing experience, with at least two of those years in a supervisory or leadership position.
The job duties of a Director of Nursing are all-encompassing. One of these duties is to monitor compliance of applicable laws and regulations and maintain standards of care which are outlined by the state where a facility is located. If the facility administrator is absent, the Director of Nursing will usually be responsible for operations. Other important administrative duties of the Director of Nursing are compiling statistics, preparing reports and maintaining patients’ medical records.
Directly responsible for the nursing staff at a facility, the Director of Nursing has many job responsibilities. In addition to making decisions about hiring and firing the nursing staff, she will schedule and review the work of the staff while developing a budget and maintaining expenditures. Helping to develop and implement policies and procedures for all aspects involved with a hospital or long-term care facility is a job duty that most Directors of Nursing perform.
The Director of Nursing is an integral part of conflict resolution by assisting with any problems that the staff, the patients or doctors may have. Additionally, the Director of Nursing will need to be ready for any emergency that may arise in the facility. He or she should also be ready to cover any of the duties that her staff performs whenever it may be required. “
I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com. I welcome your phone call.