RN Founding Practical Nursing Program Director

Job Description

Job Description

Founding Practical Nursing Program Director – RN

Quest Healthcare Academy – Jeannette, Pennsylvania
Full-Time | Primarily On-Site

Quest Healthcare Academy is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Registered Nurse to serve as the founding Director of our new Practical Nursing Program.

This is more than an administrative position. It is an opportunity to help create a nursing program from the ground up and have a meaningful voice in its direction, culture and future. A significant foundation has already been established, and our new Program Director will critically review that work, strengthen it and lead the program through final development, implementation and ongoing operation.

We are looking for someone who enjoys collaborative teamwork and wants to serve as a true professional partner in this endeavor. The successful candidate will work closely with Quest’s Campus Director and organizational leadership while exercising appropriate authority over nursing education, faculty standards, student safety, regulatory compliance and program outcomes.

What You Will Help Us Build

The Founding Program Director will:

• Provide leadership for the development, implementation and evaluation of the Practical Nursing Program.

• Guide nursing-education decisions and advise organizational leadership on regulatory requirements, educational standards and best practices.

• Review and strengthen the curriculum, syllabi, lesson plans, evaluation methods and student-learning experiences.

• Ensure compliance with Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.

• Lead remaining approval activities and prepare the program for regulatory reviews and site visits.

• Recruit, orient, mentor, supervise and evaluate nursing faculty.

• Establish a collaborative faculty culture centered on student success, professional accountability and patient safety.

• Coordinate classroom, laboratory, simulation and clinical education.

• Maintain appropriate clinical partnerships, faculty assignments and student-to-instructor ratios.

• Oversee student progression, remediation, clinical performance and disciplinary decisions.

• Develop systems for documentation, program evaluation, graduate outcomes and NCLEX-PN preparation.

• Participate in budgeting, resource planning, scheduling and continuous program improvement.

• Remain actively involved in the day-to-day work required to launch and operate a new program.

Required Qualifications

• Graduation from an approved professional nursing education program.

• Current, unrestricted Pennsylvania Registered Nurse license.

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a plan to achieve an MSN.

• Experience in nursing practice, nursing education, and educational administration.

• Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership.

• Recent direct patient-care or nursing-teaching experience.

• Strong written communication, organization and documentation skills.

• Ability to serve as the full-time, primarily on-site director of the program.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master of Science in Nursing, Nursing Education, Educational Leadership or a closely related graduate degree.

• Experience teaching nursing theory, clinical, skills laboratory or simulation.

• Practical Nursing or prelicensure nursing-education experience.

• Experience developing or revising nursing curricula.

• Experience supervising and evaluating nursing faculty.

• Experience with student progression, remediation and clinical-performance decisions.

• Knowledge of Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and Department of Education requirements.

• Experience opening a new nursing program, preparing regulatory submissions or participating in approval or accreditation visits.

• Experience with program evaluation, test-item analysis and NCLEX preparation.

The Person We Are Seeking

Our ideal candidate:

• Is energized by the opportunity to build something meaningful.

• Wants to influence the development of a new generation of nurses.

• Is confident enough to provide clear professional recommendations and raise concerns when necessary.

• Can balance independent nursing-education leadership with collaborative organizational decision-making.

• Respects work already completed while remaining willing to identify and implement needed improvements.

• Is comfortable working in a developing program where leaders must be both strategic and hands-on.

• Communicates openly, handles disagreement professionally and values mutual trust.

• Views the Campus Director and organizational leadership as partners in achieving a shared vision.

• Is committed to creating a program known for educational excellence, student support, professional accountability and safe nursing practice.

Compensation

Anticipated salary range: $82,175–$86,283 annually , based on qualifications and directly relevant experience.

If you are an experienced nurse educator or nursing leader who wants more than a traditional administrative role—and would value the opportunity to help shape a new Practical Nursing Program from its beginning—we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Please submit a résumé or curriculum vitae and a brief letter explaining what interests you about becoming the founding leader of a new Practical Nursing Program.