Job Category:

Work Shift/Schedule:

Northeast Georgia Health System is rooted in a foundation of improving the health of our communities.

About the Role:

Job Summary

The Patient Care Supervisor, under the supervision of the Patient Care Manager, facilitates and assists with all levels of nursing care provided to patients and families. The Patient Care Supervisor assists staff nurses and aides with day to day problem solving, facilitates communication between care team providers, and serves as a liaison between front-line staff and the patient care to hospice patients in all settings. In addition to these responsibilities, when needed the charge nurse may assume nurse responsibilities. The Patient Care Supervisor is the first level of clinical administration in the absence of the Patient Care Manager.  The Patient Care supervisor coordinates, elevates and resolves problems and conflicts as they occur. The Patient Care supervisor has shift accountability for care delivery, patient flow, matching patient needs with available resources and elevates patient safety concerns/situations as well as any other situation that is unable to be resolved during the shift. In this role, the patient care supervisor will coordinate the activities of nursing staff, is accountable for the effective and efficient operation of the unit and staff including ensuring orders, treatments, plans of care, and clinical pathways are carried out in a consistent manner. Provides expert patient care. Administrative duties include staffing and scheduling, unit staff selection, retention and performance management, including coaching and counseling. Additional administrative duties include IDG (Interdisciplinary Group) facilitation and preparation including ensuring patients appropriateness for hospice based on Medicare/Medicaid, following regulatory guidelines. The patient care supervisor is also responsible for revising and continual updates of standards of work and process changes based on regulatory guideline changes as they arise to ensure compliance.  

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Licensure or other certifications: Licensed to practice as an RN in Georgia. Required: National certification in either a clinical or leadership specialty within two (2) years of hire.

• Educational Requirements: Associates Degree. Graduate from state approved professional school of nursing or Bachelors degree in nursing from an accredited college or university.

• Minimum Experience: Five (5) years minimum experience in either hospice, oncology, palliative and/or end of life care.

• Other:

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Preferred Licensure or other certifications: CHPN.

• Preferred Educational Requirements:

• Preferred Experience: Charge nurse or Supervisor experience.

• Other:

Job Specific and Unique Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrates strong clinical expertise and judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. Flexible and adaptable in rapidly changing situations.

• Knowledge of state and federal hospice regulations and accreditation standards, as applicable to compliance excellence.

• Ability to analyze and correlate clinical care with financial and regulatory requirements and accreditation standards, as applicable and to propose and implement processes to ensure compliance.

• Skill in supervision (e.g. hire, train, assign and review work, motivate, prepare performance evaluations and effectively handle disciplinary actions)

• Skill in tailoring communication and performance feedback to the individual employee.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills. Sense of humor and empathy with ability to mentor, lead and develop staff.

• Proficient in computers and software applications.

• Excels in organizational skills, is detail-oriented, is action and goal oriented, and self-directed.

Essential Tasks and Responsibilities

• Responsible for ensuring clinical excellence and exceptional patient/family experience. Accepts responsibility for achieving objectives through individual work activities and the outputs of the care team. Provide direct patient care as needed which includes assessing, planning and evaluating patients while remaining informed about the status of patients of their direct reports during their shift. With guidance from compliance, audits medical records of direct reports to ensure regulatory requirements and accreditation standards are met on an ongoing basis. Assist with federal audit submission and post-audit education for direct reports. Collaborates with the other departments within Hospice in order to further the overall goals of the organization. Responsible for facilitation between various patient care areas to ensure design of seamless teamwork and support to patients and families. Triage complex care needs and assist with discharge planning. Provides guidance to staff members, assesses staff performance, and provides feedback to manager. Has responsibility of timely evaluation and completion of assigned formal employee evaluations. Provides input into program design to facilitate optimal staff productivity and efficient resource utilization. Serves as a role model and clinical resource to other employees and consistently demonstrates skills and characteristics the organization values. Oversee, supervise and ensure adapting nursing care reflects the emotional needs and behavior of patients. Assisting staff by facilitating decision making with respect to patient acuity.

• Critical Thinking competencies-represents responsibilities of the charge nurse to demonstrate effective decision-making and problem-solving involving both clinical and operational issues on their unit. Proactively review documentation for hospice eligibility, including clinical and psychosocial documentation. Provide timely support to direct reports and patient and families for any needs identified. Proactively anticipates patient needs, staffing requirements, assesses/evaluates care delivered and makes adjustments to accommodate needs. Handles stress and manages crisis situations efficiently and effectively. When crisis occurs, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the care team and demonstrates the ability to make or adjust assignments. Uses critical thinking to troubleshoot and think ahead. Leads performance improvement initiatives with team members to ensure industry standards are exceeded. Analyzes errors, enforces accountability and finds ways to help the staff improve performance following organizational procedures/standards and best practices. Assesses the effectiveness of staffing plans/assignments taking into account acuity levels of the patient and labor standards. Proactively addresses potential customer service issues.

• Organizational competencies-represents responsibilities of charge nurse to understand and operate in the organizational environment as well as in the larger organization. Triages and supports intake, coordinating multiple tasks and supports clinical operations with multiple interruptions. Prioritizes and directs activities in an organized manner.  Competent in identifying, planning and coordinating services within the department. Uses effective time management skills. Uses resources effectively and monitors resource utilization by specific patient and product (DME, Pharmacy, Medical Supplies, Professional Services, etc.) Serves as a liaison/resource to internal and external customers. Ensures exceptionally responsive service and prompt service delivery. Is able to see the big picture and make correct decisions based on this understanding. Demonstrates and maintains standards for efficient and professional communication orally vs written to provide explanation for questions asked and for explaining information and decisions.  Refraining from only utilizing written communication for sensitive information. Collaborates with outside vendors/providers (e.g. DME company, online procure pharmacy) in an efficient and professional manner regarding services provided and ensure productivity standards are maintained and sufficient budgets reviewed. Coordinate, troubleshoot and ensure adequate staffing and scheduling functions while ensuring adherence to productivity standards and target. 

• Human Relations competencies-represent responsibilities of the charge nurse to interact effectively with other personnel to accomplish requirements of patient care as well as complete assigned administrative activities. Maintains accessibility/visibility and makes field visits with clinical staff on a regular basis to orient, support and improve performance. Works with education supervisor and/or preceptor to ensure successful orientation of all new hires and supports continuous education to all clinical staff in best practices. Has influence over hospice operations in positive manner. Demonstrates respect with all levels of patient care team. Responsible for completion of annual performance evaluations and addressing ongoing performance issues of direct reports. Treats patients with care and respect. Direct the training of professional and nonprofessional personnel. Attending and facilitating daily huddles. Perform job description effectively with a variety of professional and paraprofessional staff.  Engage directly with hospice director, physicians, and staff to ensure adherence to hospice evidence-based standards and regulatory requirements through IDG (Interdisciplinary Group) meetings and communication of patient care needs from primary staff.  Monitors staff performance/competency and provides feedback in a timely manner.

• Coordinates activities by scheduling work assignments, setting priorities, and directing the work of subordinate employees. Participates daily in planning and distributing patient assignments to care team members. 

• Draws on the strengths of each staff member to foster teamwork and administrates effective patient care.

• Functions as clinical field back-up in times of high staff shortage when other clinical staff availability is limited.

• Participates in special projects, serves as Administrator On-Call as assigned (weekday: Monday - Thursday; weekend: Friday - Sunday) or participates in rotation of on-call, and other duties as indicated/assigned.

Physical Demands

• Weight Lifted: Up to 60 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Weight Carried: Up to 60 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Vision: Moderate, Constantly 66-100% of time

• Kneeling/Stooping/Bending: Occasionally 0-30%

• Standing/Walking: Frequently 31-65%

• Pushing/Pulling: Occasionally 0-30%

• Intensity of Work: Frequently 31-65%

• Job Requires: Reading, Writing, Reasoning, Talking, Keyboarding, Driving

Working at NGHS means being part of something special: a team invested in you as a person, an employee, and in helping you reach your goals. 

NGHS: Opportunities start here.

Northeast Georgia Health System is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not tolerate discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification or status.