Purpose:
The Director, Emergency Department, reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer, will work collaboratively with nursing and physician leadership to coordinate, implement, and monitor the clinical operations and patient care delivery for the emergency department. This position will have oversight to ensure that appropriate resources are available to meet patient care needs and be accountable for achieving quality patient care by identifying, analyzing, and redefining clinical and system processes/operations to improve and ensure positive patient outcomes. Key focus areas for development and improvement include capacity management and throughput, reduction of boarder hours and improving patient experience. The scope of the Director is an Emergency Department and/or Clinical Decision Unit within a small hospital (typically <20,000 patient visits per year).

Responsibilities:

Healthy Workforce – Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring and modeling uplifting and positive communication. Extends trust by acknowledging the contributions of others; listens first, creates transparency in communications, confronts reality, and clarifies expectations. Integrates all team members into the team’s work, creating an environment that supports diversity and values differences. Seeks opportunity to adopt best practice, eliminate duplication and maximize efficiency.Professional Practice – Ensures a culture of caring by promoting and supporting decisions that are patient centered and within the framework of Relationship Based Care. Participates in professional organizations to enhance personal growth and facilitate collaborative relationships within the local and regional area. Supports the Emergency Department in demonstrating continuous improvement in patient, caregiver, and physician satisfaction. Directs program teams to function within scope of practice as defined by clinical discipline and job description. Develops and evaluates clinical systems and process that facilitate delivery of comprehensive patient/family care across the continuum. Assists in the annual budget development and has oversight for budgeted annual man-hours, expense and capital budgets for responsible departments based on an analysis of needs of patients, clinical programs, staff and physicians. Quality & Innovation – Works closely with clinical and administrative services in identifying opportunities for improving quality, safety, and cost of care to meet identified goals for the responsible areas. Assists with an analysis of clinical variance trends and directs programmatic activities which support the achievement of organization operational imperatives, and implements clinical practice changes as appropriate to the clinical setting. Supports and encourages involvement in the development and implementation of evidence-based practice and quality improvement initiatives. Identifies appropriate risk assessment strategies and leads risk reduction strategies for responsible areas.Structural Empowerment – Establishes and achieves professional standards for quality, legal, and ethical professional practice that is supported by regulatory guidelines and policies and procedures. Demonstrates ongoing departmental and personal development, coaches and advises direct reports and professional staff in the formulation of their professional development plan. Shares learning from improvement with other departments and spreads across the campus as applicable. Supports a shared governance model, facilitating staff involvement in decision making. Promotes the ongoing development of the Professional Practice Council. Promotes peer to peer accountability. Transformational Leadership – Demonstrates the ability to create a shared vision; applies critical thinking skills and utilizes financial and quality data as well as conceptual and didactic knowledge to oversee the development of the operational plan for Emergency Services. Provides an analysis of respective clinical areas to include strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats to define proactive processes and shares this information with the Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer for the development of patient care and nursing strategic plan for both campuses. Demonstrates initiative to address complex, high-risk problems and translates them into opportunities and challenges. Recognizes the need for a varied leadership style based on the situation and developmental stage of an individual or group. Promotes individual contributions at all levels, working with cross functional teams to effect change. Assumes a leadership role in the program development that supports and advances the strategic initiatives for Emergency Departments at UPMC.