HOSPICE DIRECTOR OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES RN

Job Description

Job Description

DIRECTOR OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES (DPCS), RN

Clinical leadership • Staff development • Patient care excellence

| LOCATION
San Diego, CA — on-site leadership role
| STATUS
Full-time | Primarily Monday-Friday
| REPORTS TO
Administrator / Executive Leadership
| TRAVEL
Local field and facility travel required

Come Lead Somewhere Different
Topkare Hospice is seeking an experienced hospice RN leader to serve as our next Director of Patient Care Services.

We can teach systems, workflows, documentation standards, technology and operational processes. What is much harder to teach is how to lead people well.

We are hiring a leader of people—not simply a manager of clinical tasks.

We are looking for someone who genuinely enjoys developing people: a leader who can set high expectations while remaining approachable, curious and respectful; someone who does not simply identify what is wrong, but helps people become better.

At Topkare, we believe exceptional patient care begins with an exceptional employee experience. Our goal is to create an environment where people are inspired and excited to come to work, feel supported by their leaders, understand what is expected of them and recognize the meaning behind the work they do.

The Leader We’re Looking For
· Curiosity comes before correction. You seek to understand before drawing conclusions.
· Accountability and kindness can coexist. You address difficult issues respectfully, directly and promptly.
· Individual issues deserve individual conversations. You coach privately rather than correcting one person through group communication.
· Leaders develop people. You use expertise to build judgment and capability—not simply to fix problems.
· Communication should create clarity, not anxiety. Your words, timing and tone help people understand what happens next.
· Problems are opportunities for leadership. Your first instinct is, “How can we make this work safely?”
· Leadership requires presence. Your team knows you, trusts you and experiences you as accessible and responsive.
· Standards matter. When we say we will do something for a patient, family or one another, we follow through.
· Feedback goes both ways. You examine your own impact and consider perspectives different from your own.

We are not looking for perfection. We are looking for self-awareness, emotional maturity, humility, sound judgment and a genuine desire to grow.

Our Leadership Expectations
· Emotional Regulation: Remain grounded and thoughtful during stress, conflict and competing priorities.
· Response Inhibition: Pause, gather information and understand context before reacting or deciding.
· Task Initiation: Take ownership and address coaching, follow-up and operational needs proactively.
· Sustained Attention: Stay engaged with priorities through completion and follow through consistently.
· Working Memory: Maintain awareness of commitments, staff needs and organizational priorities and translate them into action.
· Planning & Organizing: Anticipate staffing, patient-care and team needs and organize resources intentionally.
· Cognitive Flexibility: Remain open to new information, different perspectives and changing circumstances.
· Self-Monitoring: Understand how your words, tone, decisions and presence affect others; seek feedback and adjust.

What You’ll Lead
As Topkare’s primary onsite clinical leader, you will work closely with our Administrator, CEO, Medical Director and interdisciplinary team. Your priorities will include:

· Clinical operations and patient-care oversight. Monitor census, acuity, admissions, deaths, discharges, transfers, revocations, recertifications, levels of care, staffing and emerging clinical concerns; provide timely guidance and ensure concerns are followed through to resolution.
· Clinical team leadership, coaching and accountability. Supervise and develop RNs, LVNs, CHHAs and other clinical staff through consistent 1:1 coaching, competency validation, education, clear expectations and respectful performance accountability.
· Staffing, scheduling and coverage. Oversee caseload distribution, visit coverage, call-offs, vacations, weekends and after-hours escalation. Resolve gaps based on acuity, continuity, geography, scope of practice and clinician competency.
· Field leadership and staff development. Conduct or arrange supervisory and joint visits; support complex admissions, difficult transitions, family case conferences, service recovery and facility situations; translate observed needs into structured education.
· IDG, plan of care and eligibility. Lead clinical preparation and execution of IDG; oversee meaningful plan-of-care review, hospice eligibility, recertification, decline documentation, long-length-of-stay review, discharge planning, transfers, revocations and readmissions.
· Documentation and clinical workflow. Reinforce standards for timeliness, medication reconciliation, medication counts, communication and visit completion. Review high-risk records and use findings to improve practice in HospiceMD and related systems.
· Medication governance and patient safety. Oversee medication reconciliation, controlled substances, comfort kits, discrepancies, refusals, pharmacy issues and medication incidents; coordinate resolution with prescribers, pharmacy, facilities, staff and families.
· Quality, compliance and survey partnership. Maintain clinical accountability while partnering on audits, QAPI, incidents, infection prevention, complaints, HOPE, CAHPS, ADR/TPE/payment review, survey readiness and regulatory implementation.
· Organizational leadership. Advise executive leadership of clinical, staffing, safety, operational and regulatory risk; participate actively in leadership, operations, IDG, QAPI and staff meetings; bring forward practical solutions early.

Where We Want You Spending Your Time

Thinking. Leading. Coaching. Teaching. Developing people. Solving problems. Building relationships.

We do not expect the DPCS to personally perform every administrative task that touches clinical operations. Routine IT access, device coordination, supply fulfillment, transactional data entry, report assembly and other clerical work should remain with the appropriate administrative or quality-support owner. The DPCS participates when clinical judgment or final clinical approval is required.

Although this is an onsite role, the DPCS will also work in the field for supervisory visits, facility meetings, difficult admissions and case conferences. Topkare protects focused time for clinical review, IDG preparation, staff follow-up, documentation oversight and regulatory responsibilities.

What Success Looks Like
· The clinical team experiences leadership as accessible, consistent, responsive and supportive.
· People know what is expected and receive coaching before problems become patterns.
· Accountability is timely, consistent and respectful.
· Clinical concerns and escalations are addressed proactively and followed through to resolution.
· Documentation, competencies, plans of care and clinical non-negotiables are reliably executed.
· Quality findings become staff development and sustained improvement—not simply more policies or audits.
· Patients and families experience calm, prepared and connected care.
· The team grows in judgment, confidence, accountability and capability because of your leadership.

About Topkare Hospice
Topkare Hospice is a privately owned, nurse-led hospice serving San Diego County. We provide personalized, responsive end-of-life care through a holistic approach that combines strong clinical practice, integrative therapies, an actively involved Medical Director, and thoughtful use of technology and innovation.

We are proud of the clinical and compliance systems we have built and equally proud of the culture we continue to create.

Required Qualifications
· Current, unrestricted California Registered Nurse license in good standing.
· Must meet one of California’s DPCS qualification pathways:

· Pathway A: RN with a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing or another health-related field, plus at least two years of full-time supervisory or managerial experience in a hospice or home health agency within the last five years; or

· Pathway B: RN with at least four years of full-time supervisory or managerial experience in a hospice or home health agency within the last five years. A bachelor’s degree is not required under this pathway.

· No disqualifying disciplinary action within the prior seven years, as defined by applicable California requirements.
· Ability to maintain consistent onsite leadership presence in San Diego and travel throughout San Diego County.
· Valid driver license, reliable transportation and required automobile insurance when driving is an essential function.

Consistent with California requirements, this position generally may not be held concurrently with employment at another hospice except where a specific statutory exception applies.

Preferred Experience and Capabilities
· Prior DPCS experience; exceptional hospice RN leaders who meet California requirements and strongly align with our leadership philosophy are encouraged to apply.
· Strong knowledge of hospice operations, Medicare Conditions of Participation, California hospice requirements, Joint Commission standards, interdisciplinary care, QAPI and clinical documentation.
· Experience supervising, coaching, educating and holding clinical staff accountable.
· Sound clinical judgment and the ability to make timely decisions under pressure while managing competing priorities.
· Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to give and receive feedback and lead change constructively.
· Comfort with electronic medical records and clinical technology systems.

Ready to Lead Somewhere Different?
If you love hospice, enjoy developing nurses, believe accountability can be delivered with humanity and want to help build an organization where people are genuinely inspired to come to work, we would love to meet you.

Please submit your resume and a brief note describing your hospice leadership experience and the kind of clinical culture you believe brings out the best in people.

Topkare Hospice, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. This posting describes the general nature and level of work performed; responsibilities may evolve based on patient needs, organizational priorities and regulatory requirements.