Career Center

Are you interested in a challenging clinical role supporting others in their duties as healthcare professionals making a difference as part of an unparalleled school community?

Hotchkiss School seeks an experienced Director of Nursing to organize and support all duties of care for our nursing operations in our student Health Center.  Working with a comprehensive team of healthcare professionals, your central goal will be supporting a collaborative and efficient workplace with specific attention to quality care for adolescent students. The Director of Nursing should be a hard-working and compassionate Registered Nurse with developed managerial and administrative skills.  A desirable candidate should possess a flexible mindset in their supervisory nursing role and schedule, considering obligations for occasional work on weekends and during school breaks.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Nursing oversees the nursing staff and overall nursing operations of the Health Center, including shift scheduling and nurse staffing.  The Director of Nursing fulfills administrative and clinical duties as assigned by the Director of Health Services.  The Director of Nursing is responsible for maintaining and monitoring high standards of clinical care, implementing procedural and policy support for nursing personnel, as well as supportive evaluation and training.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Leadership Team Responsibilities:

• Effective management of nursing team operations; maintaining a strong commitment to wellness and quality health care for all students of Hotchkiss,
• Establish and maintain effective vehicles of communications, both internal and external, supporting the goals and initiatives of the Health Center,
• As a member of the Health Center leadership team, including the Medical Director, Director of Health Services, and Assistant Director of Nursing, participate in weekly nursing leadership meetings.
• Support the Director of Health Services, and other Health Center staff, with writing/revising policies and procedures relevant to delivery of care, assuring compliance with licensure and standards of care.
• Serve as a consultant to the Hotchkiss School daycare, Cynthia White Children’s Center.
• Promote collegial relationships with and provide professional guidance to members of the Hotchkiss community including Residential Life, Counseling, Athletics, and others; to assure appropriate student support and continuity of care.

Management Responsibilities: (Nursing Supervision/Training/Evaluation)

• Supervise all staff registered nurses (and Nursing Assistants, if applicable)
• Recruit, interview, and recommend for hire Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants.
• Orient all newly hired nursing staff in coordination with the Assistant Director of Nursing.
• Perform annual performance reviews for all nursing staff.
• Ensure the maintenance of all required certification and training including CPR, and blood borne pathogen training for nursing staff.
• Provide ongoing support for nurses and other care providers related to the use of electronic medical records.
• Provide oversight for the staff coverage during Summer Portals programming which may involve assisting with recruiting, interviewing, making recommendations for hire.
• Implement procedures to assure compliance with regulations/procedures regarding the dispensing of medications to students.
• Facilitate nursing aspects of health center clinics, including psychiatric and influenza immunization clinics.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Oversee all aspects of nursing care provided by nursing staff, and provide direct patient care to students seeking services for illness, injury or counseling.
• Participate in quality of care initiatives.
• Review clinical documentation in medical records, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and providing training as needed to nursing staff.
• Oversee the review of all new student health records, assuring compliance with State immunization requirements.
• Collaborate with the Medical Director to assure students specific medical needs as identified, are addressed and supported.
• Maintain collaborative relationships with the Medical Director, Director of Health Services, Nurse Practitioner, consulting physicians, pharmacy partners, and those to whom students are referred to facilitate coordination of care.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Develop a nursing schedule optimizing Health Center staffing assignments, for each school term providing 24/7 nursing care coverage.
• Communicate effectively and regularly with nursing staff using email, postings, as well as personnel meetings.
• Monitor and approve time off requests and time card processes for payroll needs on a weekly basis for all hourly nursing staff as well as salaried nursing staff on a monthly basis.
• Monitor the condition of durable equipment, collaborating with the Director of Health Services on repair and/or replacement needs.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, Masters Preferred.
• Licensed Registered Nurse in the State of Connecticut required.
• Certification in CPR/AED required.
• Nursing experience in adolescent health, school nursing, urgent care or emergency room preferred,
• Three or more years in nursing management experience preferred,
• Must be able to pass a state background check (DMV Form R7) to obtain a Connecticut Public Service License (PSL) or A endorsement (or out-of-state equivalent, if applicable),
• Maintain PSL endorsement through a clean driving record and successfully passing random drug screenings,
• Possess excellent communication skills with attention to responsiveness,
• Possess ability to manage multiple priorities with minimal supervision,
• Possess adaptive ability and technical skills to streamline processes using technology, and
• Demonstrated proficiency, advanced knowledge and comfort working with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel) and electronic medical records.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS:

• Bending, stooping, reaching, lifting, standing, carrying;
• Work with students who may have infectious diseases, including but not limited to COVID-19;
• Duties are generally performed in the School Health Center and may extend to other areas of the School’s campus;
• Given the persistent risks of the spread of the Covid-19 virus—risks that are heightened due to the emergency of more highly transmissible variants – all employees of the School are required to be fully vaccinated by their first day of work as a condition of employment. Employees who are unable to receive the vaccine due to disability, medical condition, or a sincerely held belief may request an exemption, which will be reviewed by the School to determine the availability of any reasonable accommodations.

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The essential functions and basic skills have been included.  It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities.  Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This position description is subject to change at any time.

• Department:            Health Services
• FLSA:                        Salaried Exempt
• Job Status:               Full time Staff, 11 Months, Academic Year
• Work Schedule:        Monday-Fridays, days, w/rotating evening, night & weekend on-call supervisory nursing when school is in session. 
• Reports to:               Directof of Health Services 
• Travel:                       Occasional

The Hotchkiss School is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to basing judgments concerning the employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities.  The School is firmly committed to equal employment and advancement opportunities for all employees and applicants in all phases of the employment process (including recruitment, hiring, assignment, terms and conditions of employment, compensation, benefits, training, promotion, transfer, discipline and termination).

In accordance with applicable law, the School does not discriminate against any individual based on age, ancestry, color, genetic information, learning disability, marital status, past or present history of mental disability, national origin, physical disability, race, religious creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.