Assistant Director of Nursing

Desert Valley Hospice & Palliative Care; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Desert Valley Hospice & Palliative Care in Phoenix is seeking an Assistant Director of Nursing who will oversee the clinical staff and ensure high-quality patient care in compliance with necessary regulations. The role includes training and supervising nursing staff, managing patient referrals, and leading interdisciplinary group meetings to coordinate care efficiently.

The ideal candidate should be a licensed Registered Nurse with a BSN preferred and at least two years of clinical management experience in a hospice or home care setting.

Qualifications

• Required: Registered Nurse with an active license in Arizona.
• Preferred: BSN with two years of supervisory experience in hospice or home care.
• Strong communication and documentation skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Supervise clinical staff and ensure quality patient care.
• Coordinate with the Interdisciplinary Group and manage patient referrals.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and address documentation issues.

Skills

Supervisory Skills

Clinical Management

Communication Skills

Attention to Detail

Knowledge of Regulations

Education

Registered Nurse License

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Tools

EMR Systems

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Assistant Director of Nursing – Salaried/Exempt: Yes. Report to: Executive Director/Director of Nursing. Supervises: Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, certified Nursing Assistant, social Worker, chaplain. Travel: None. Location: Phoenix.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) is responsible for the supervision, management, and coordination of quality patient care within their assigned team. The ADON is accountable to ensure that care and services provided by the team are delivered in a fiscally responsible manner while maintaining strict compliance with all standards of practice, Federal, State, and local rules and regulations. This key position is responsible for the coordination of the hospice Interdisciplinary Group care and services and assumes responsibility for ensuring appropriate and quality services are provided through the continuum of care.

Major Job Functions

• Promote and practice the Desert Valley Hospice philosophy and mission.
• Assumes primary responsibility for maintaining quality hospice patient care in accordance with the Company's objectives and policies through planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating the services provided to patients, families, and customers.
• Coordinates clinical care and collaborates with members of the Interdisciplinary Group (IDG), attending physicians, facility staff in all care settings.
• Interprets operational indicators and takes a proactive approach to maintain per patient day costs within budget related to pharmacy, medical supplies, durable medical equipment, salaries, and mileage.
• Receives and reviews patient referrals, as needed.
• Oversees payor verification and pre-certification requirements of new referrals.
• Communicates with payors and their representatives with updates and responds to requests for information on new referrals.
• Assigns admission evaluations to the appropriate staff members and ensures timely in-person assessments for all referrals and admissions to hospice services.
• Completes intake and admission assessments as necessary to meet program needs.
• Reviews all available patient information related to referrals.
• Ensures the hospice physician and attending provider are consulted before admission or determination of non-admission is rendered.
• Assists the clinical team in review and evaluation of eligibility for hospice care by conducting home visits, conferences, record reviews, and observing the services provided by clinicians to ensure the accuracy and clarity of documented assessments.
• Provides feedback and guidance to clinicians to promote effective performance and delivery of quality hospice services.
• Evaluates all team activities, patient assignments, staffing patterns, and schedules to ensure patient and family needs are met in a timely and cost‑effective manner.
• Ensures workflow tasks are completed promptly within the EMR system.
• Works closely with the Quality Assurance manager to utilize workflow tasks as an opportunity to conduct a thorough review of medical record documentation.
• Assesses, evaluates, and monitors clinical documentation to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with licensing regulations, certification standards, and standards of practice.
• Ensures documentation is completed by all team members promptly and in accordance with professional standards and Company policy.
• Promptly addresses missing, inaccurate, and/or incomplete documentation issues with assigned team members and communicates findings and recommendations to Executive Director and other leadership.
• Assists clinicians in establishing immediate and long‑term patient goals, setting priorities, and developing an individualized, patient‑centered Plan of Care (POC).
• Ensures that care is being provided in accordance with the patients' plans of care and updated as patients' needs for care change.
• Responsible to ensure timely supervision of the team's clinicians in accordance with State, Federal, and ACHC or CHAP rules and regulations.
• Oversees clinical staff to ensure timely communication of changes in the patient condition to the physician and receipt of necessary changes in orders and ensures communication of changes in the plan of care to the appropriate staff.
• Ensures safe and coordinated care transitions including appropriate changes in levels of care, transfers to other care providers (i.e., home health, palliative care, etc.), and timely and thorough discharge planning.
• Leads Interdisciplinary Group (IDG) meetings and promotes coordination and communication of information relevant to the care of the patient to ensure quality of care.
• Ensures patients are appropriately reviewed for continued eligibility during each IDG meeting and that IDG documentation is completed accurately and in a timely manner at least every 15 days for all active patients.
• Participates in QAPI process by ensuring all data related to high‑risk problem‑prone areas (i.e., infections, falls, wounds, etc.) are reported and analyzed, participating in quarterly QAPI meetings, and Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs) as directed by supervisor.
• Investigates and responds promptly to patient, family, and customer complaints to ensure a resolution that is satisfactory to all parties involved - takes remedial action as needed in collaboration with supervisor to address the need for improvement and notifies/collaborates with appropriate department leaders (i.e., Human Resources, Compliance, etc.) as appropriate.
• Assumes direct patient care responsibilities as needed including patient/family visits, on‑site supervision, and evaluation of care to facilitate teamwork within the organization.
• Demonstrates proficiency in appropriate complex clinical skills and teaches, guides, and supports team as needed.
• Demonstrates integrity and commitment to the hospice team, being available to respond promptly to team members, patients, families, facility staff, and other customers during work hours and assigned on‑call periods.
• Participates in on‑call rotation as needed.
• Acts as Administrator On‑call as scheduled and promptly answers all after‑hours calls.
• Participates in the interview and hiring process by participating in the interview, screening, and hiring of potential applicants.
• Plays a key role in the development of clinical staff by planning and initiating orientation of newly hired clinical staff.
• Educates, coaches, and supports clinical team members on an ongoing basis.
• Holds team accountable for meeting job requirements and compliance with Company policies and processes.
• Conducts written performance evaluations in accordance with Company policy to improve performance – recognizes and rewards outstanding performance.
• Demonstrates continued professional growth and development through participation 111 educational programs and review of current health care literature – recognizes own areas of need to promote professional growth.
• Demonstrates loyalty to the Company by adhering to and supporting the Company policies.
• Acts as a role model for the team, projecting a positive attitude with a focus on quality patient care and ethical conduct.
• Participates in public relations and community activities that promote the organization's role as an effective member of the hospice and healthcare delivery system.
• Promotes customer service orientation to all hospice personnel.
• Demonstrates professionalism by being prepared for meetings and meets all required deadlines.
• Ensures census growth of the team and program through building relationships, immediate service recovery, and direct coaching and role modeling behaviors of clinicians related to customer relations.
• Holds self and others accountable, role models ownership and urgency regarding patient care, customer relationships, and all duties of this job description.
• In the absence of the Executive Director/Director of Nursing, the Assistant Director of Nursing, may be asked to act as and will be vested with the authority to act on behalf of the Director of Nursing.
• Assumes other duties as developed and assigned.

Requirements

• Registered Nurse of an accredited school of nursing with a current license to practice professional nursing in the state; BSN preferred.
• Two (2) years of clinical management or supervisory experience in hospice/home care setting preferred.
• Demonstrates the ability to clearly document according to standards of practice and to accurately and efficiently audit the documentation of others utilizing resources and tools provided.
• Demonstrates knowledge of State and Federal regulations, and accrediting body standards.
• Knowledge of ACHC or CHAP standards preferred.
• Ability to learn and master the workflow in the EMR.
• Ability to accurately perform workflow and identify areas of non‑compliance.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the principals and practices of hospice care delivery and regulations including fraud, abuse, and anti‑kickback.
• Demonstrated record of accomplishment of developing and managing successful teaching strategies improving quality of patient care, compliance outcomes, and successfully following multi‑performance improvement initiatives and plans of correction.
• Demonstrate the skillset that includes interpersonal, oral, and written communication to maintain a positive coaching environment.
• Demonstrate strong communication skills, relationship building, and consistently produce work that is detail‑oriented and accurate.
• Possess a professional and resourceful style; having the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative, and manage multiple tasks and projects at the same time.
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office suite of products and related computer skills.

Skills/Abilities/ Knowledge

• Complies with acceptable professional standards and practice.
• Demonstrates ability to supervise and direct others.
• Complies with acceptable professional standards and practice.
• Excellent observation, written, verbal and communication skills with good nursing judgment.
• Understands Hospice philosophy as it relates to end of life.
• Understands principles of pain/symptom management.
• Must possess a valid driver's license.
• Must provide ongoing documentation of current vehicle insurance.
• Complies and maintains current CPR certifications.