MightyRecruiterDirectors of nursing oversee nursing assistants, home health aides and licensed practical nurses, as well as other nursing staff. Someone in this managerial position may set schedules, teach courses, run community outreach programs and care for patients.
As you search for a director of nursing, you may be looking for a candidate with specific skills. Consider including communication, leadership and negotiation in the skills section of your director of nursing job description.
Having good judgement can also help a director of nursing create successful programs and hire responsible nurses. Compassion can help your employee provide top-notch care to patients. Use the professional director of nursing job description template to get a better idea of other elements you may also want to include in your own write up.
Director of Nursing Job Summary
Do you look forward to caring for others by planning patient care, administering medicines, performing diagnostic tests and operating medical equipment? Do you enjoy creating a strong foundation for young nurses to build a flourishing career on by providing guidance and educational courses? If you do, you could find happiness as the next director of nursing at our medical facility. This fast-paced, caring environment gives you the perfect place to implement new community outreach programs and innovative patient care techniques all while working as a part of a dedicated team. You get the chance to make a difference and enrich the lives of countless patients and their families right when you start as the director of nursing.
Job Responsibilities
- Schedule nurses, aides and practitioners to make sure the staff is used in the best way possible and all of the patients will be cared for
- Provide top-of-the-line care to patients by giving them medicine, reading equipment and diagnosing diseases or injuries
- Teach educational nursing courses to keep those under you up to date on the newest technology and patient care procedures
- Counsel patients on self-care and the potential side effects drug regimens can have so they fully understand their options and how to take care of themselves
- Create community outreach programs designed to educate the public on staying healthy, living with diabetes and planning for families
- Develop patient treatment plans using standard of care, scientific rationale and professional practice policies as guidelines
- Stay educated on common payer systems, such as managed care, Medicare, private insurance and Medicaid, to help patients through the process
- Maintain detailed records of patient history to make it easier for doctors and other medical professionals to help the patients during their stay and in the future
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Master in Nursing or related field
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to negotiate contracts
- Good leadership abilities
- Strong judgement-making skills
Preferred:
- Technical understanding of medical tools, such as cardiac monitors, suctioning equipment and pacemakers
- Understanding of Microsoft Access
- Compassionate and patient disposition
Director of Nursing Job Responsibilities
Few details in your director of nursing job description are as important as the information about the responsibilities of the administrator. Your goal in describing core functions should be to sell the position while clearly explaining what the daily expectations will be for whichever candidate you choose to hire. The director of nursing job responsibilities section should be the meatiest in the posting because of its importance.
While the content of this section is most important, the way you format it is also vital. After all, how the information is organized determines how easily accessible it is. Hiring managers recommend you organize the tasks in a bulleted list. Include no more than eight bullet points to avoid being intimidating. Likewise, you need at least six items so the information is not vague.
Get started on your director of nursing job description with these great example entries:
- Establish healthcare practices to improve the efficiency of the entire nursing team
- Oversee nursing operations to ensure all staff are capable and properly trained, offering advice and providing instruction as needed
- Create schedules, ensuring enough nurses are on call at any given moment on a daily basis
- Organize patients to ensure the entire system functions smoothly
- Maintain patient records
Director of Nursing Job Specifications
At the end of your director of nursing job description, there should be a short job qualifications and skills section that describes your expectations. A strong formatting strategy is to separate the information into two categories: mandatory and preferred qualifications. Before you begin writing the director of nursing job specifications, you should have a solid understanding of which qualities are deal-breakers.
While this should be the shortest section of your director of nursing job description, it is also one of the most important. This is because readers will decide whether or not they apply based on the information found here. It should be your goal to make it perfectly clear to those who do not qualify that they should not apply, while encouraging the more talented candidates to submit an application.
The following example entries demonstrate an effective qualifications and skills list to help you write your job description and strengthen it as much as possible.
- Completion of relevant medical bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred
- Must have completed standard nursing certification programs
- Two years of experience working in a healthcare environment required
- Strong critical thinking, evaluation and analysis skills
- Must have held a position of leadership for more than two years
- Excellent interpersonal and professional communication abilities
