GENERAL SUMMARY:

The House Supervisory Clinical Nurse Coordinator (HS-CNC) is the clinical supervisor for the NICU, PICU or Med-Surg patient care areas, coordinating shift operational flow, in conjunction with organizational and departmental strategic goals, objectives, and standards. The HS-CNC is the hospital’s in-house administrative representative/resource for patients/families and the healthcare team, at both the unit and organization levels. The HS-CNC provides clinical leadership with accountability in promoting quality patient care and an engaging work environment, during assigned shift (7a-7p or 7p-7a, including weekend rotation).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/COMPETENCIES

• Coordinates/leads daily clinical operational activities of the unit by ensuring that quality care is delivered in an efficient work environment to include:
• Managing patient flow
• Balances unit patient care activities while overseeing the delivery of patient care and coordinating admissions, discharges, transfers and unforeseen events.
• In times of high census, effectively problem solves and utilizes other unit CNCs/PCMs/Director as needed, to maximize resources to continue patient flow, while maintaining quality patient care.
• Maintains constant unit awareness, adjusting patient assignments and directing workflow according to changes in patient acuities/needs and unit activities.
• Utilizes clinical leadership in ensuring that patient care activities meet established unit/organizational/ practice standards of care through patient/family rounding, communication with healthcare team and in directing and/or assisting in the delivery of clinical patient care.
• Facilitates communication between healthcare team members/departments in advocating for quality/coordinated patient care, and ensuring that patient/family needs are met.
• Overseeing staffing processes
• Coordinates assignments using established staffing levels that match individualized* patient needs with staff competencies, and staff skill mix, through ongoing assessment of patient and unit needs. (*Individualized refers to the patient’s developmental, cognitive, cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and educational/family influences and physical/medical care needs.)
• Assigns and delegates patient assignments as defined by the Nebraska State Nurse Practice Act, and according to the knowledge and skills of the staff available.
• Anticipates, plans and adjusts staffing needs daily, 24º out, and on a weekly basis, resolves staffing issues as they arise, and updates PCM/staffing coordinator, as needed.
• Consistently ensures documentation on daily staffing sheets and assignment sheets reflects accurate staffing/patient activity.
• Follows up with own staff floating to other areas at least once during the shift. Ensures staff floating into unit are supported clinically, introduced/welcomed as part of the team and assigned a buddy.
• Works collaboratively with staffing coordinator/house supervisor and other unit CNCs in meeting staffing challenges, taking accountability for impact of decision on patient care in own unit.
• Unit staffing is adjusted consistently according to established staffing policies/procedures/guidelines/standards.
• Unresolved staffing concerns and unique staffing adjustments are appropriately communicated to PCM in a timely manner.
• Monitoring unit environment
• Ensures that staff has the supplies, equipment, information, and resources needed to provide quality patient care in a safe work environment.
• Constantly aware of unit compliance with facility environment, equipment, and supplies by incorporating into daily routine ongoing facility/unit surveillance of unit safety and standards. Reports correction needs, completes variances and utilizes unit tracking processes for timely resolution of reported correction needs. Reports unresolved environmental variances to the PCM/Inpatient Director as necessary.
• Shift report reflects unit standards. Delivery of report to unit and HS-CNC reflects unit activities, and is prepared, punctual, concise and efficient.
• Collaborate with PCM to lead, create and maintain an environment that advocates for staff and promotes individual/team engagement through clinical/administrative expertise and professional leadership.
• Role models, demonstrates and promotes clinical leadership
• Serves as a clinical/systems expert with nursing and interdisciplinary team member(s) in the assessment, development, implementation, and/or evaluation of the age-specific individualized patient/family-centered plan of care and documented actions. (Individualized refers to the patient’s developmental, cognitive, cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and education/family influences and physical/medical care needs. Plan of care includes current and anticipated actions focused on care education, and/or discharge needs).
• Proactively collaborates with healthcare team, in analyzing data from patient assessments, team/family communication and current clinical situations. Provides direction in prioritizing plans for patient care while considering the potential for complications.
• Consistently implements the nursing process in accordance with the unit scope of service, policies/procedures, and standards to oversee the care of patients while utilizing critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrates clinical competence in an organized manner with speed, flexibility, and appropriate prioritization while maintaining quality patient care. Uses discretionary judgment in assessing conflicting priorities and needs.
• Maintains systems necessary to implement and sustain standards for a quality and engaged work environment.
• Demonstrates current knowledge of hospital/nursing systems to oversee and correctly operationalize these systems to ensure positive clinical outcomes.
• Functions as an effective liaison between patients, families, staff, and other departments to foster a respectful clinical environment that promotes quality care.
• Accountable for ensuring and promoting staff/team development.
• Promotes an interactive learning environment with employees through coaching, mentoring, and providing opportunities to develop staff skills thereby enhancing job performance.
• Collaborates with area CNS/educator to identify, develop, and evaluate unit/individual staff education.
• Provides guidance for the employee’s development opportunities for their personal and professional growth (EE

25).

• Utilizes Crucial Conversations philosophy (i.e. conflict resolution, first party communication and active listening), in enhancing employee communication techniques between peers, healthcare team members, other departments, and with leadership team.
• Promotes an environment that provides real time formal and informal recognition to employees for excellence in service to our customers and coworkers including celebration of team successes, emphasizing that everyone is accountable for playing a part in recognizing individuals.
• Empowers staff with the ability to make decisions and utilize the necessary resources and guidance to implement them.
• Performance improvement plans are consistently developed for employees not meeting clinical/behavioral standards and monitored for their effectiveness with action taken as necessary.
• Provides timely, ongoing and clear performance expectations, through constructive, consistent positive/negative feedback, even when the message is potentially difficult to hear.
• Employee evaluations will include no surprises to the employee, and reflect an accurate description of staff’s performance including personalized SMART goals. Evaluations are completed and submitted by the due date.
• Collaborates with the PCM in operationalizing staff development/annual evaluation plans.
• Documentation is objective with factual, complete, and detailed information to reflect communication and follow up with the employee (i.e., behavioral corrective action plans, performance improvement plans, etc.)
• Demonstrates and promotes professional leadership
• Seeks and accepts guidance from all disciplines and incorporates this feedback into job/behavioral skills for continued leadership growth.
• Leads by example – consistently role models and reinforces Children’s behavior and job performance expectations when coordinating patient care, daily operations and administrative responsibilities.
• Emphasizes and builds good teamwork inside and outside of the department.
• Demonstrates appreciation for the role’s direct and indirect leadership impact on the team/ unit and within the hospital.
• Actively engages in opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Embraces creativity, innovation and “big-picture” thinking in self and others, while challenging processes and searching out opportunities/taking risks.
• Inspires a shared vision amongst the team as measured by unit outcomes.
• Actively collaborates with managers to improve systems and daily operations.
• Demonstrates approachability, empathy, and support that encourage staff to seek HS- CNC assistance with difficult tasks or problems.
• Accountable for managing professional boundaries of self and counseling others in the same.
• Enthusiastically leads the organization in upholding the mission, vision, and values in the work environment and clinical practice.
• Makes recommendations and takes action to improve structures, systems, or outcomes based on careful analysis of current processes.
• Synthesizes all available information to independently resolve complex situations using multiple sources of information and appropriate resources for problem resolution.
• Defines operational standards, organizes department-level activities to achieve optimum service delivery/systems/care/processes, setting high performance objectives for the department.
• Acts promptly and decisively to address problems that arise on the unit, working collaboratively with others for guidance in decision making, initiating the chain of command as appropriate.
• Positively leads and supports the team through change and problem solving processes.
• Mobilizes staff in emergency situations and maintains a calm demeanor while giving directions. Initiates discussion after the event to analyze how situation was handled and gives feedback for future emergencies.
• The assigned HS/CNC has the authority/accountability as the administrative representative/resource to provide direction, system expertise, decisions, resources, and leadership to ensure uninterrupted hospital operations. This is accomplished through the appropriate horizontal and vertical direct communication with all departments, outside facilities, and other disciplines as appropriate.
• Accountable for inpatient housewide staffing and patient care/unit activities.
• Works collaboratively with CNC of each unit/staffing coordinator to ensure that staffing is appropriate for current/following shifts and takes into account projected needs for the current week.
• Oversees and provides direction for inpatient housewide staffing plans to reflect current/projected patient/family needs, acuities, and staff skill mix according to the staffing/scheduling/cancellation procedure guidelines. Unresolved unit/housewide staffing concerns and unique staffing adjustments are appropriately communicated to Inpatient Director in a timely manner.
• Ensures that staffing documentation reflects accurate staffing activity for all inpatient units (i.e., PTOs, ATOs, call ins, floating, preceptor, moves, etc.)
• Ensures that content documented on house report sheet is accurate, including specific information related to any ongoing current patient care, unit, and/or housewide issues. House report is prepared, punctual, concise and efficient.
• Ensures horizontal (other CNCs) and/or vertical (PCM/Director) communication is verbalized to the accountable person(s) in a timely manner for patient care, unit, and/or housewide issues including appropriate documentation.
• Assumes direct authority and responsibility for consistency in housewide administrative/operational systems and standards.
• Delivers seamless integration of the combined duties as unit CNC/HS CNC.
• When assigned to HS CNC role, maintains an effective balance of housewide and unit visibility/accessibility for support, direction and conflict resolution by acting as a facilitator, coach, mentor, and clinical /administrative resource.
• Performs a variety of duties independently, often changing from one task to another of a different nature, without loss of quality, efficiency, or composure, performing under stressful conditions when confronted with multiple requests, and demonstrates prioritization skills.
• Functions as a systems expert and reliable resource that can provide direction to all departments as issues/needs arise (i.e., off-hours surgeries/scheduling; employee injuries/exposures; after hours equipment/supply acquisition, etc.)
• Demonstrates the ability to lead decisions that reflect organizational standards/values.
• Ensures that timely, thorough, appropriate communication (direct communication, variance, concern reports, injury reports, and/or E-mail) is used to convey department/personnel issues to the appropriate department leader.
• Identifies inconsistencies in implementation and gaps in hospital wide policies and procedures and communicates deficits to the appropriate person(s).
• Accepts organizational accountability as an administrative representative/liaison.
• Effectively functions as the on-site representative for the administrator on-call. Guarantees comprehensive and timely notification to the administrator on-call for administrative direction and/or awareness involving patient care/systems/emergency concerns.
• Serves as an administrative liaison between patients/families and the health care team to address care/systems concerns, ensuring that concerns are elevated through the chain of command, up to and including administrator on-call, until resolved.
• Demonstrates exemplary customer service skills and leadership in problem solving with outside agencies/customers to assist them as needed regarding Children’s services.
• Assures house supervisory 24/7 coverage according to schedule guidelines.
• Functions as the in-house incident commander for external/internal disasters communicating with the administrator on-call in directing hospital operations until HEICS Team arrives or situation is resolved.

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS/COMPETENCIES

• Performs other duties assigned.
• Accepts assignments to share/teach knowledge and provide clinical support as a preceptor/resource for new HS-CNCs, and relief CNCs.
• Accepts assignment on unit to provide direct patient care and actively seeks opportunities to help teammates/colleagues.
• Collaborates with faculty and students from area schools of nursing to develop appropriate student assignments and assures a welcoming/recruiting environment.
• Accepts assignment to mentor student nurse observation experience in unit.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Must have a current valid Nebraska RN license/RN Compact license.
• Must be certified in Basic Cardiac Life Support. Must have or obtain PALS or NRP (NICU only) certification by completion of orientation.
• Nursing administration or unit specific certification preferred, required within 2 years of accepting position.
• Must possess leadership skills in verbal/written communication and organizational management (time management, problem solving, conflict resolution, knowledge of regulatory agency/HR standards).
• Must possess influential/motivational leadership skills that drive/develops staff performance.
• Ability to effectively demonstrate situational power, control, autonomy, and flexibility.
• Must be able to perform a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another of a different nature, without loss of efficiency or composure, and be able to perform under stressful conditions when confronted with multiple requests, demonstrating prioritizing skills.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing or other health related field required.
• A minimum of 3 years experience in clinical setting applying for preferred or minimum 3 years experience with pediatric patients required.
• A minimum of 1 year supervisory experience preferred.