Director of Nursing

Director of Nursing

Skilled Nursing Facility - Chicago, Illinois

Position Summary

The Director of Nursing is responsible for the overall leadership, management, and performance of the nursing department within a skilled nursing facility. This position oversees resident care, nursing operations, staffing, clinical compliance, quality assurance, infection prevention, and employee development.

The Director of Nursing works closely with the Administrator, Medical Director, department leaders, residents, families, and clinical staff to ensure the facility provides safe, compliant, and resident-centered care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for all nursing services and clinical operations.
• Ensure nursing care is delivered in accordance with resident care plans, physician orders, facility policies, and applicable federal and Illinois regulations.
• Recruit, supervise, coach, and evaluate nursing leadership and direct-care staff.
• Maintain appropriate nursing coverage and address staffing, scheduling, attendance, and performance concerns.
• Monitor resident conditions, clinical outcomes, hospital transfers, incidents, falls, wounds, infections, weight changes, and other quality indicators.
• Participate in resident care planning and ensure changes in condition are identified, documented, communicated, and addressed promptly.
• Oversee the facility's Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement program.
• Review clinical systems and implement corrective action plans when performance concerns are identified.
• Prepare the nursing department for surveys, audits, complaint investigations, and regulatory visits.
• Participate in survey response, plan-of-correction development, and follow-up monitoring.
• Ensure nursing documentation is accurate, complete, timely, and compliant.
• Collaborate with the MDS department to support accurate assessments, care planning, documentation, and reimbursement processes.
• Oversee infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship practices in collaboration with the Infection Preventionist and Medical Director.
• Review medication management, pharmacy recommendations, controlled-substance processes, and medication-error trends.
• Develop and enforce nursing policies, procedures, clinical protocols, and standards of practice.
• Conduct nursing meetings, in-service education, competency evaluations, and staff-development programs.
• Respond to resident and family concerns involving clinical care or nursing services.
• Promote communication and cooperation among nursing, rehabilitation, dietary, social services, activities, admissions, and other departments.
• Participate in the facility's admission-review process and evaluate the facility's ability to meet prospective residents' clinical needs.
• Manage nursing-department expenses, agency utilization, overtime, supplies, and other budget-related areas.
• Serve as a member of the facility's leadership team and participate in operational and strategic planning.
• Assume responsibility for nursing operations during emergencies or other situations requiring clinical leadership.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Administrator.

Qualifications

• Current and unrestricted Registered Nurse license in the State of Illinois.
• Previous Director of Nursing, Assistant Director of Nursing, or senior nursing leadership experience in a skilled nursing facility.
• Strong knowledge of long-term care regulations, survey requirements, clinical documentation, quality assurance, infection prevention, and resident-care standards.
• Experience managing nursing staff in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
• Ability to identify clinical and operational problems and implement effective corrective action.
• Strong leadership, communication, organization, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to communicate professionally with residents, families, employees, physicians, regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of electronic health records and standard healthcare technology.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA and facility privacy requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing preferred but not necessary.
• Prior experience as a Director of Nursing in a skilled nursing or long-term care facility.
• Experience with Illinois Department of Public Health surveys and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirements.
• Experience improving survey outcomes, staffing performance, clinical systems, and quality measures.
• CPR certification.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to remain mobile throughout the facility and respond promptly to resident-care needs.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and occasionally lift or assist with resident-care activities.
• Ability to work extended or irregular hours when needed, including participation in an on-call rotation.

Schedule

Full-time leadership position. The Director of Nursing must be available outside normal business hours when necessary to address staffing, clinical, regulatory, or emergency situations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The facility is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.