Behavioral Health Nursing Director – Geriatric Care

Freedom Behavioral; Monroe (LA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Freedom Behavioral Hospital of Monroe seeks an experienced Director of Nursing (DON) to lead nursing services across the facility. The role requires RN licensure in Louisiana and prior psychiatric management experience, with a strong preference for geriatric behavioral health experience.

The DON will oversee staff development, regulatory compliance, and high-quality patient care, while coordinating with HR, Quality, and clinical leadership to ensure safe, compliant operations and continuous

Qualifications

• Associate Degree or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing minimum, with MSN oversight.
• Masters Prepared strongly preferred.
• Current RN License in good standing with the State of Louisiana
• Previous psychiatric management experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct leadership, oversight, and support to nursing and direct care staff.
• Ensure nursing services are delivered in accordance with standards of care, policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and accreditation standards.
• Maintain appropriate nursing staffing levels and ensure units are staffed safely and effectively based on patient census, acuity, and organizational requirements.
• Develop and maintain nursing schedules in a timely manner while proactively addressing staffing and coverage needs.
• Provide clinical leadership and assist nursing staff with decision-making, clinical judgment, physician communication, and complex patient care situations.
• Provide direct patient care when necessary to support safe and effective facility operations.
• Participate in the nursing administrative on-call rotation as required.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, train, and retain a high-performing nursing team.
• Collaborate with Human Resources regarding nursing recruitment, hiring, employee relations, performance management, corrective action, and termination when necessary.
• Complete nursing staff performance evaluations within established timeframes and provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback.
• Establish clear performance expectations and promote accountability throughout the nursing department.
• Participate actively in the facility’s Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program, including monitoring, tracking, trending, and analyzing nursing and patient care data.
• Identify opportunities for performance improvement and implement corrective actions when nursing or quality concerns are identified.
• Maintain ongoing survey readiness and ensure nursing operations remain compliant with applicable federal, state, accreditation, and organizational requirements.
• Collaborate with Intake and Service Development to facilitate appropriate and timely patient admissions.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of facility admission criteria and ensure appropriate clinical review and documentation for new admissions.
• Participate as an active member of the Utilization Review and Treatment Teams to support communication regarding patient needs, treatment goals, interventions, progress, and discharge planning.
• Serve as a clinical and operational resource to administrative, nursing, and direct care staff.
• Participate in the development and implementation of policies, procedures, forms, workflows, and processes that impact nursing services and patient care.
• Collaborate with facility leadership on new programs, operational initiatives, and performance improvement projects to ensure safe and effective implementation.
• Monitor nursing documentation and clinical practices to ensure accuracy, timeliness, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Work collaboratively with physicians, clinical leadership, administration, Human Resources, Quality, and other departments to support effective facility operations.
• Serve as an active member of the facility leadership team and contribute to the overall clinical, operational, and strategic goals of the hospital.

Skills

Nursing leadership

Staffing management

Clinical judgment

Regulatory knowledge

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Hands-on leadership

Education

Associate or Bachelor of Nursing

MSN preferred

Job description

Freedom Behavioral Hospital of Monroe seeks an experienced Director of Nursing (DON) to lead nursing services across the facility. The role requires RN licensure in Louisiana and prior psychiatric management experience, with a strong preference for geriatric behavioral health experience.

The DON will oversee staff development, regulatory compliance, and high-quality patient care, while coordinating with HR, Quality, and clinical leadership to ensure safe, compliant operations and continuous