Director, Professional Practice
Wellstar Health Systems

Facility: Kennestone Hospital

Job Summary:

The Director Professional Practice a registered professional nurse who provides leadership and management of specific responsibilities through the application of advanced competencies in communication; job knowledge, professionalism and business skills. This Nurse leader is a member of the Chief Nursing Officer and AVP of Nursing's administrative team and serves as her designee for assigned responsibilities. He/she effectively partners with hospital leadership, medical staff and other departments to create a center of excellence for his/her responsibilities and to meet the hospital's mission, vision and goals.
This position provides direct leadership for the enhancement of an accountability based practice model which is created in a strong professional practice setting. The nurse leader will assume responsibility for championing the nursing professional practice model, shared governance, ongoing professional development and maintenance of competencies that support professional nursing practice. The Director of Professional Practice serves as sponsor for performance improvement; inspires others to seek opportunities to grow and improve their performance and successful applies lean and evidenced based practice to ensure all targets pillar outcomes are achieved. This leader creates a culture of safety by way of professional development for leaders, staff and physicians. He/she effectively uses data and technology to make decisions and proactively mitigates unnecessary risks for his/her area of responsibility providing instruction and mentoring for assigned leaders to be able to do the same. This leader creates a desirable, safe work environment that enables the organization to meet or exceed all licensure, regulatory and accreditation standards. He/She models the way by fostering exemplary skills in attaining effective teamwork and collaboration with physicians, staff, patients and other departments. Performs other duties related to role as assigned.

This position provides direct leadership for the enhancement of an accountability based practice model which is created in a strong professional practice setting. This leader will assume responsibility for championing the nursing professional practice model, shared leadership, ongoing professional development and maintenance of competencies that support professional nursing practice as the assigned location.
It is expected that all nurse leaders are licensed, knowledgeable and uphold the practice of nursing as outlined by the Georgia Professional Nurse Practice Act and implements the Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics Standards put forth by the American Nurses Association. As a member of the patient services team, it is expected the individual upholds the voice of the patient, system policies and procedures while supporting service excellence goals.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Exemplary Practice and Outcomes
- Holds self and staff to the highest professional standards and ethics ensuring corporate compliance standards etc. are met by leaders and staff. Is an active member of ones professional community and serves as a role model for professional nursing practice and nursing leadership advances the field through transformational executive leadership, support of shared governance, and scholarly activity.

- Provides program leadership and management for professional nurses and other members of the health care team as appropriate, serving as a champion for the evolution of Professional Practice in this clinical setting while also providing administrative over site clinical nurse specialists and other roles that support nursing professional practice.

- Facilitates system and process improvements that support the reduction of nursing errors and other factors that contribute to unintended adverse patient outcomes based on identified risks.

- Facilitates improvement in clinical quality and safety through assessment of compliance with regulatory and/or professional standards of practice; assists with periodic review and revision of nursing and or system policies based on changes. Resources and Support

- Assess current organizational status in relationship to external accrediting organizations (e.g. ANCC Magnet Designation Criteria, Baldrige, etc.) as a benchmarking to create action plans for improvement.

- Directs and implements processes, collects and compiles evidence to ensure/exceed demonstration adherence to the action plan; advancing nursing professional practice. Provide recommendations for and oversight for the application any awards, designations, etc. from external agencies.

Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Collaboration
- Effectively communicates to diverse audiences on nursing, health care, system and organizational issues and this includes the ability to set standards and holds leaders and staff accountable for performance standards. Proactively establishes a health work place by reducing unnecessary conflict - resolves it when necessary promotes and achieves positive team dynamics
- Establishes partnerships by employing strong relationship building skills with all hospital leaders and medical staff by striving to understand others (and situations) and keeping the long view in mind is fair and just using reflective practice skills to monitor self and leader performance/interaction skills exercising coaching and guiding skills
- Creates opportunities for self and leaders to grow professionally and implements a desirable workplace to recruit and retain talented leaders and staff.
- Works collaboratively with other departments and hospitals to foster interdisciplinary teamwork, and leads multidisciplinary teams to develop, implement and promote a culture of safety, and achieve the broader goals related to Nursing excellence.

Professional Development
- Seeks opportunities to advance knowledge and skills through formal and information education offerings to enhance ones understanding of how healthcare is financed and how to manage a diverse nursing workforce.
- Represents the organization positively to the community, building credibility and willingness to serve on committees and taskforces as needed to share knowledge and skill; champion a service line or need; and seeks opportunities to advance skill and scope of responsibilities.
- Develops and maintains expertise in the field in order to understand processes, identify. barriers to improve the safety and quality of patient care, and provide education regarding the system based causes for medical errors and strategies to prevent patient harm. Evidence Based Practice and Research
- Effectively identifies areas of improvement of leaders and clinical systems and sponsors projects to improve the same. Includes assuring nursing division meets or exceeds licensure, regulatory and accreditation standards.
- Applies the effective use of data and evidence to support decision making for clinical and operational responsibilities and demonstrates awareness of legal and ethical issues related to patient and staff data, information and confidentiality.
- Remains updated on current literature and trends in practice while utilizing evidenced-based practice and research to establish programs and best practices.

Required Minimum Education:

• Must hold either a Master's Degree in Nursing or Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from accredited nursing schools with a Master's Degree in related field. A PhD, DNP or DNsc is desired.

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s):
All certifications are required upon hire unless otherwise stated.

• Reg Nurse (Single State) or RN - Multi-state Compact required.

Required Minimum Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience as a Registered Nurse; including three (3) years of progressive clinical, leadership and/or operational responsibility is required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change management, with positive impact on quality and/or safety performance is required.
• Experience in a complex healthcare environment with significant exposure to matrix operating structures is required.
• Participation in a journey to excellence with successful attainment of national recognition such as Magnet, Baldridge, Pathways to Excellence or unit based programs is required.
• Lean expertise is strongly preferred.
• Magnet expereince is strongly preferred.

Required Minimum Skills:

• Should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and relationship building a knowledge of the health care environment leadership that includes such skills as successfully implementing and managing a change process ability to use systems thinking- and inspire, coach others to be successful model the way for professional practice; professionalism and teamwork/collaboration for self/department/medical staff and possess necessary business skills to manage human and material resources
• Must be a continuous learner who understands health care financing strategy and operations for running a business unit(s) and effectively employ data and technology to support work processes and make decisions
• Supports shared governance or shared decision making manage the design and delivery of care that in based on evidence and focused on quality and safety
• Knowledge of risk management and various accreditation/regulations/licensing requirements assuring that these are upheld while advancing industry standards through the achievement of goals by effective management and measurement of outcomes

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