Associate Director, Nursing- Pediatrics

Duties & Responsibilities

The Associate Director of Nursing is an integral member of Nursing Services Administration. Under the supervision of the CNO or a designee, the Associate Director assumes 24‑hour administrative responsibilities for evaluation, planning, implementation, and evaluation of patient care on the unit. The role carries out the system, hospital, and nursing service mission, vision, values, and overall strategic planning, clinical management, patient care, budgeting, and quality management of the unit. The Associate Director promotes nursing service standards, creates a patient‑focused environment, and fosters collaborative relationships with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare team members, working within the framework of the Hospital By‑Laws, Mission and Vision statements, policies and procedures, and regulatory standards.

• Assumes 24‑hour administrative responsibilities for evaluation, planning, implementation, and evaluation of patient care on the unit.
• Carried out system, hospital, and nursing service mission, vision, values and overall strategic planning, clinical management, patient care, budgeting, and quality management of the unit.
• Promotes nursing service standards and creates a patient‑focused environment.
• Fosters an environment of collaboration and respect with physician colleagues, nurses and other members of the healthcare team.
• Works within the framework of the Hospital By‑Laws, Mission and Vision statements, policies and procedures, and all regulatory standards.
• Delivery of direct nursing care as needed.
• Payroll and timekeeping.
• Completion of performance appraisals.
• Recruitment.
• Ordering of unit‑specific supplies.
• Maintain record of meeting attendance and minutes.
• Promotes a positive and pleasant attitude conducive to the workplace, enhancing the hospital’s Mission, Vision and Value statement.
• Collaborates with Clinical Directors of Nursing in planning and developing programs to improve patient care and employee performance.
• Monitors employee performance relative to patient care and nursing practice, e.g., compliance with policy/procedures.
• Communicates patient care and service‑related problems to appropriate individuals timely and assists in corrective actions/follow‑up.
• Nurse Leader rounds with service on a daily basis.
• Evaluates staffing plan and ensures that staffing is adequate to meet patient care needs.
• Develops mechanisms that improve continuous feedback related to patient care/nursing practice compliance with hospital policy and procedure.
• Maintains open channels of communication with peers (nursing leaders/personnel).
• Explores resolutions to problems; reviews and analyzes quality improvement reports and effectiveness of corrective action plans.
• Periodically assesses/reviews the master staffing plan and customer service/patient satisfaction patterns.
• Develops, prepares, and monitors the personnel, supply, and equipment budgets in collaboration with staff and support department directors.
• Develops long‑term staffing schedules and ensures daily coverage in accordance with established staffing guidelines.
• Measures and monitors unit operational performance metrics inclusive of LOS, agency and overtime costs, vacancy, and turnover rates.
• Performs clinical duties and delivery of direct patient care as required.
• Maintains clinical visibility on the nursing unit.
• Leads Structured Interdisciplinary Rounds and escalates all barriers to the delivery of care until resolution is achieved.
• Actively evaluates the delivery of nursing care through direct observation of staff.
• Meets or exceeds established unit‑specific, organizational, or system goals for nursing quality indicators.
• Provides oversight to ensure the reduction of restraint use.
• Uses trends in safety events to address practice issues within the nursing unit.
• Provides timely updates of unit PI initiatives for Nursing PI oversight.
• Collaborates with the Director of Nursing to establish nursing care standards and evaluates staff compliance.
• Facilitates the effective provision of support services essential to patient care.
• Maintains a safe and caring environment for patients conducive to positive health teaching and care expectations.
• Develops unit goals and objectives to support institutional values and goals, with input from staff.
• Recognizes the need for patient care to be delivered in a culturally sensitive manner and models sensitivity to staff.
• Periodically apprises the Director of Nursing regarding performance.
• Oversees HD quality metrics and interdisciplinary meetings.
• Engages HD patients around reducing catheter days and conversion to long‑term access.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed and currently registered to practice as a Professional Nurse in New York State.
• Either: (A) A Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration, Education or an equivalent field and a minimum of six years of satisfactory nursing experience, of which four years shall have been in a supervisory, teaching or administrative capacity.
• (B) A Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing and seven years of satisfactory nursing experience, five years of which shall have been in a supervisory or teaching capacity.
• (C) A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience.