Director Of Nursing 2

Are you ready to take the next step in your Nursing career, while continuing to make a difference in the lives of others? If so, please read on to learn more about this exciting opportunity!  

The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families' (DCF) seeks a qualified individual for the position of Director of Nursing 2 to join our team.  

What We Can Offer You:

• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
• A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings;
• Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
• Generous paid time off, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
• Professional growth and development opportunities;
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees.
• State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.  Click here for more information.  

You will discover the opportunity to:  

• Showcase your talents in a meaningful role;
• Thrive in an exciting environment;
• Make a difference in the public sector;
• Work together in a collaborative team environment.    

Position Highlights:

• Full Time
• 40 hours per week
• 1st shift: 8:00am – 4:30pm or 8:30am – 5:00pm
• On-call coverage as needed
• Location: Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center - South Campus in Middletown, CT    

The Role:  

Job duties include, but are not limited to:  

• Directs staff and operations of the nursing department.  
• Coordinates, plans and manages nursing activities including making staff assignments.  
• Formulates program goals and objectives.  
• Develops or assists in development of related policy incorporating current nursing research and professionally recognized standards.  
• Evaluates staff.  
• Prepares or assists in preparation of the nursing budget.  
• Maintains contacts with individuals within and outside of department who might impact on program activities.  

About Us:

The Department of Children and Families' (DCF) mission is partnering with communities and empowering families to raise resilient children who thrive. We are proud of our diverse and dedicated workforce who strive every day to meet the needs of those we encounter.  

The Albert J. Solnit Children's Center Hospital – South Campus is a 50 bed inpatient psychiatric hospital  providing treatment to adolescents ages 13 to  17 with complex psychiatric needs.  It is located on a 67-acre campus at 915 River Road, Middletown, CT 06457.  

The Albert J. Solnit Children's Center provides comprehensive care to adolescents with psychiatric conditions and related behavior and emotional problems who cannot be safely assessed or treated in a less restrictive setting. The Solnit Center facilities support our dedication to helping youth improve their individual and social competencies.  

We hope you take this opportunity to join our team and make a difference!

These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening and must specify their qualifications on their application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 

Please note you will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.   

Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.  
Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Julie Barker, at Julie.Barker@ct.gov.

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

FOR THOSE WHO HOLD A RN LICENSE IN A STATE OTHER THAN CONNECTICUT AND WISH TO APPLY FOR A CONNECTICUT LICENSE, PLEASE:

1. Review the eligibility and documentation requirements for CT license by endorsement of an out-of-state license;

2. Complete a CT DPH online application online (expand the ‘Public Health Practitioners’ grouping, select ‘Registered Nurse’ and then ‘Start’;

3. Request verification of your out-of-state license(s) electronically through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s : Nursys® System. To send verification of your license(s) to CT, read and agree to the terms, enter your biographic information, select your license type and select ‘SEARCH’. Review the results and select the ‘Next’ button. Check the box next to ‘Connecticut’ and complete the transaction. Once the transaction is completed, you will receive a confirmation email from Nursys and the verification will be available to the DPH. Note that PA and MI verifications are not provided through Nursys. Please contact those state boards for information on obtaining verification.

In the Departments of Children and Families, Correction, Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Veterans Affairs this class is accountable for directing nursing services by ensuring that nursing professional practices comply with appropriate standards of delivery for evidence-based patient-centered care within an assigned region, a large hospital division, a medium-sized hospital or for statewide services.

• Directs staff and operations of the nursing department;
• Coordinates, plans and manages nursing activities including making staff assignments;
• Formulates program goals and objectives;
• Develops or assists in development of related policy incorporating current nursing research and professionally recognized standards;
• Interprets and administers pertinent laws;
• Evaluates staff;
• Prepares or assists in preparation of the nursing budget;
• Maintains contacts with individuals within and outside of department who might impact on program activities;
• Develops or assists in development and implementation of plans for nursing care;
• Participates in recruitment and retention programs;
• Makes rounds to determine quality of nursing care;
• Participates in Quality Assurance Programs;
• Assures optimal quality of provided care in a safe environment;
• Develops and/or implements effective ongoing programs to measure, assess and improve quality of nursing care, treatment and services delivered to patients;
• Develops productive work teams; protects human and civil rights of patients and/or clients and staff;
• Recommends disciplinary actions;
• Collaborates with clinical instructors for educational programs;
• Represents hospital and/or facility in meetings of professional and/or community organizations;
• Compiles data and prepares periodic reports;
• Responsible for coordinating and providing twenty-four hour nursing coverage for facility or assigned units(s);
• Intervenes in crisis situations and investigates all unusual incidents;
• Leads and participates in meetings; may speak on behalf of nursing;
• May oversee other disciplines including but not limited to pharmacy, respiratory therapy or social work;
• May participate in strategic planning;
• May participate in research activities;
• May be a member of standing committees;
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
• Performs related duties as required.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION:

• Directs staff and operations of nursing services within an assigned region spanning multiple correctional facilities;
• Ensures coordination and provision of comprehensive nursing services delivered 24-hours a day, 7 days a week;
• Directs development or assists with development of nursing policies, procedures and protocols;
• Assists in evaluating nursing staff and recommends corrective action; protects human and civil rights of patients and staff;
• Prepares or assists in the preparation of the nursing budget and makes decisions or recommends a course of action with regard to management of the nursing budget;
• Directs or assists with development and implementation of nursing services staffing plan policies;
• Provides supervision to nurse supervisors regarding nursing standards, procedures, protocols and policies;
• Ensures nursing practices comply with appropriate professional standards;
• Develops and monitors nursing performance expectations;
• Develops, administers and maintains nursing programs that deliver, monitor, evaluate and improve quality and appropriateness of all nursing care;
• Ensures facilities implemented an effective system that certifies competence to perform nursing duties, including performance of physical assessments and outpatient urgent and emergency protocols;
• Ensures continuous quality improvements and sustainable constitutional levels of nursing care;
• Ensures nursing services well-functioning and timely delivery of patient care available to all patients in accordance with appropriate standards of nursing care;
• Identifies and implements solution for operational and organizational issues pertaining to nursing;
• Assesses professional nurse training and orientation needs and participates in development of orientation and education programs to promote staff development;
• Performs competency assessments;
• Mentors and coaches nursing personnel throughout region;
• Directs and oversees health care accreditation and/or re-accreditation process;
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
• Performs related duties as required. 

• Considerable knowledge of nursing principles and practices in appropriate specialty;
• Knowledge of
  • and ability to apply management principles and practices;
  • and ability to develop strategic plans;
  • relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and accreditation guidelines;
  • behavioral health nursing;
  • nursing administration;
  • research procedures as applied to nursing;
  • interviewing and counseling techniques;
  • current developments in field of nursing including current complexities of healthcare industry;
  • trend variance analysis;
  • governmental accounting and budgeting;
  • marketing;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills
• Leadership skills and ability;
• Ability to
  • problem solve;
  • multi-task and coordinate a high level of activities.

Three (3) years of experience in an administrative or supervisory capacity in a health care organization and/or facility or hospital nursing. 

NOTE: For state employees, this experience is interpreted at the level of a Supervising Nurse.

• Experience supervising and educating clinical behavioral health/psychiatric nursing staff, including LPNs, RNs, Direct Care Staff in a behavioral health hospital setting serving youth with complex psychiatric profiles and their families.    
• Experience with hospital DPH, Joint Commission accreditation and CMS certification.   
• Experience with Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement and Risk Management activities.   
• Experience with the compilation, review, and utilization of data.

• Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license as a registered professional nurse in Connecticut.
• Incumbents in this class serving in the capacity of the Nurse Executive must possess a master's degree in nursing, public health administration, health care administration, hospital administration or a related field.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.