Assistant Clinical Manager-SH

Job Description Summary

The Assistant Clinical Manager is a key member of the Serenity House leadership team. This role actively collaborates with facility leadership while drawing on strong clinical expertise and supervisory skills to operate with an appropriate level of independence and discretion in carrying out assigned responsibilities. The Assistant Clinical Manager supports the daily clinical operations of Serenity House, ensuring that patient care is coordinated, delivered, and documented in alignment with Hospice Standards of Practice and organizational expectations. This role ensures high-quality patient and family care by supporting ongoing assessment of patient needs, interdisciplinary care planning, continuity of services, and appropriate utilization of staff within their competencies. The Assistant Manager contributes to quality improvement efforts that strengthen clinical effectiveness and operational efficiency, supports staff oversight within the scope of delegated authority, and ensures adherence to regulatory and organizational standards. The Assistant Clinical Manager demonstrates respect for and actively promotes the mission, values, and vision of VNA Health.

Essential Job DUTIES AND Responsibilities

• Monitors and evaluates patient care through review of nursing and secondary staff documentation, medications, patient care plans and interventions, case conference reports. Reviews patient's medical diagnosis, prognosis, procedures and clinical course guiding nursing and other secondary disciplines staff as needed. (Collaborates with the Director of Serenity House)
• Supports clinicians in establishing immediate and long-term therapeutic goals, in setting priorities, and in developing plan of care. Monitors nursing care and patient outcomes for adherence to care plan, meeting patient needs, producing desired outcomes, and interdisciplinary care.
• Manages CNA Staff, completes accurate, timely employee performance evaluations on probationary and annual basis. Annual evaluation includes documentation to position and regulator and accreditation standards in collaboration with the Director of Serenity House. Addresses performance issues with timely escalation as needed.
• Encourages employee problem solving, conflict resolution, and improved performance. Seeks appropriate guidance and direction for difficult disciplinary situations in collaboration with the Director of Serenity House and including Human Resources when appropriate.
• Develops and implements a preceptor and/or mentoring environment for Serenity House staff. Preceptors/mentors are selected on identified criteria and evaluated during and at the completion of the mentoring process for effectiveness and suggestions for improvement.
• Enhances and maintains nursing orientation for nurses and secondary discipline staff to ensure initial and annual competencies. Orientation for nursing staff is reviewed/updated at least annually. Individual nursing completion of orientation is documented on a checklist that contains content and skills.
• Manages nursing and secondary discipline staff, equipment, and hospice resources to assure that the physical, psychological, spiritual and age-specific needs of patients are met and documentation is timely. Solicits care team members input, perceptions, plans and approaches as appropriate to support improvements in customer service and positive patient/family outcomes.
• Responsible for preparing and managing staff schedules, PTO requests, shift changes and coordinated patient and nursing/CAN assignments Responsible for coordinating initial assessments of the patient and family to determine hospice care needs with nursing staff. Provides a complete physical assessment and history of current and previous illnesses and admits patient to appropriate level of care.
• Assesses patients and reports to the attending physician and appropriate interdisciplinary team members, response to treatments and medications as well as changes in the patient’s physical or emotional condition, receives physicians orders as required.
• In conjunction with the Director or Assistant Director of Serenity House, holds regular communication meetings with staff to share and receive information regarding compliance, operational challenges, and continuous improvement in staff and patient/family satisfaction concerns.
• Attends case conference meetings with hospice personnel to facilitate optimal patient care planning, coordination of care and interdisciplinary interventions. Identifies high risk or at-risk patients and assists team in development of care plan that assures patient safety.
• Develops and/or Maintains procedures, protocols, processes and communication that facilitates team collaboration, effectiveness of nursing practice, and adherence to standards of practice. Researches “best practices” to assure most current nursing practice is promoted for optimum patient outcomes.
• In collaboration with the Director or Assistant Director of Serenity House, develops, implements and evaluates processes for staff development, growth, professional goal setting, and pursuit of excellence in delivery of hospice care. Assists in the planning, implementation and evaluation of in-service and continuing education programs. Assesses needs of hospice nursing and secondary discipline staff and assists in the development of program(s) to meet needs.
• Complies with accepted professional standards and principles. Assists in formulating, revising, implementing, and evaluating organization policies, procedures, goals and objectives, both short and long range.
• Participates actively in quality management program (QAPI) in identifying improvement indicators for hospice patient/staff and collecting data to measure and quantify progress toward targets. Promotes continuous quality improvement through process improvements based on feedback on identified quality measures. Participates in development of action plan based on quality improvement objectives.
• Utilizes legal, regulatory, and ethical principles in the analysis of complex issues regarding end-of-life care. Complies with Corporate Compliance and organizational ethical guidelines and procedures. Role models professionalism and teamwork behaviors.
• Ensures sufficient staffing to perform the duties and responsibilities of the program through effective and timely planning.
• Prioritizes and facilitates operational systems delivery that effectively solve or prevent problems related to day-to-day provision of patient care.
• Ensures the delivery of quality hospice care by:
  • Oversight and review of interdisciplinary team’s plan of care,
  • Reviews patient assessments to determine patient appropriate level of care and coordinates with physicians and staff
  • Strong knowledge of the insurance/reimbursement benefits and covered services, assisting with obtaining and documenting authorization, when necessary.
  • Ensures appropriateness of patient eligibility for hospice services on patient admission and recertification.
  • In collaboration with Director of Serenity House, assists interdisciplinary team to follow hospice standards of practice in the planning, evaluating and updating of the patient plan of care. Provide examples of “best practices” to guide patient care when available.
  • Supports licensed nurses to obtain and process physician orders thoroughly and professionally.
  • Facilitates appropriate follow-up on patient/ family/ physician needs, concerns or complaints.
  • In collaboration with interdisciplinary team, participates in patient care as from admission to discharge.
• Participates in public relations and community activities that promote the organization's role as an effective member of the hospice and health care delivery system. Promotes customer service orientation to all Serenity House personnel.
• Participates in on-call duties as defined in the on-call policy.

The above statements are only meant to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to perform job related tasks other than those stated in this description, and as required in the Medicare Conditions of Participation. All clinical staff are expected to participate as needed in variable shifts, including weekend rotation per staffing needs and departmental holiday rotation.

Position Qualifications

• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of California.
• Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field preferred.
• Two years management or supervisory experience in health care setting, preferably hospice/home care. Proven ability to work within an interdisciplinary setting.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with patients, families, staff, and the community.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor clinical and administrative personnel.
• Strong observational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Advanced knowledge of electronic medical record systems and other computer software required to perform job functions efficiently.
• Strong time management and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities in a dynamic environment.
• Knowledge of state, federal and accreditation regulations for the delivery of hospice services.
• Current CPR certification.
• Licensed driver with insured automobile - in accordance with state and/or organization requirements.
• Ability to comply with accepted professional standards and practice.
• Strong critical thinking ability, problem-solving skills in an interdisciplinary setting and effective communication skills. Understands hospice philosophy and issues of death/dying. Understands principles of pain/symptom management.
• Bilingual – Spanish preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to lift 50 lbs.
• Ability to push/pull 50 lbs.
• Ability to stoop, bend, and squat.
• Ability to walk up one flight of stairs.
• Ability to walk one mile.
• Ability to sit for one hour, minimum.
• Visual and audio acuity.