DIRECTOR OF NURSING-RESPITE CARE

Job Summary

The Director of Nursing - Respite Care provides leadership and operational oversight for Whitman-Walker Health's clinical services within the E Street Medical Respite Program, a collaborative program serving adults experiencing homelessness who require short-term acute or post-acute medical care but do not require hospitalization or another higher level of care.

As the clinical operational leader for this new WWH service line, the Director is responsible in conjunction with the Senior Director of Nursing, and the Chief Health Officer for developing, implementing, and continuously improving the clinical model of care, including clinical eligibility criteria, referral and admission workflows, clinical care protocols, discharge criteria, emergency and after-hours procedures, and other policies and workflows necessary to provide safe, high-quality medical respite care.

The Director oversees nursing and medical support services at the respite site and works in close partnership with onsite medical providers and other clinical services. The Director coordinates care across WWH departments that support respite clients but are not based onsite, including primary care, behavioral health, and substance use disorder and pharmacy services. The Director also works closely with Miriam's Kitchen respite leadership and housing case management staff, referring partners, hospitals, and other external healthcare providers to ensure coordinated care, effective transitions, discharge planning, and overall respite operations.

Core Whitman-Walker Values & Professional Expectations:

• Perform and behave in accordance with Whitman-Walker's mission, cultural norms and core values of dignity, respect, affirmation, and humility.
• Maintain a respectful, non-judgmental, and compassionate manner with patients/clients/staff.
• Demonstrate excellent customer service by identifying and exceeding customer requirements.
• Adhere to Whitman-Walker policies and procedures, with special attention given to HIPAA requirements.
• Maintain data integrity through conscientious use of relevant tools and employing a system of checks and balances.
• Demonstrate organizational skills necessary to multi-task, meet deadlines and re-prioritize as needed.
• Participate in organizational quality and performance improvement activities.

Role Specific Primary Essential Duties:

• Leads the development, implementation, and ongoing operation of WWH clinical services within the E Street Medical Respite Program.
• Develops and maintains clinical policies, protocols, workflows, and scope of care in collaboration with WWH medical leadership, Compliance, and Miriam's Kitchen.
• Establishes and oversees clinical eligibility, admission, discharge, escalation, emergency response, and hospital transfer criteria and processes.
• Oversees clinical review of referrals and works with Miriam's Kitchen leadership to determine whether patients can be safely admitted and managed within the program.
• Ensures timely assessment and individualized care planning following admission and oversees nursing care, wound care, medication management, chronic disease stabilization, patient education, and other services within the program's scope.
• Coordinates with onsite providers and Miriam's Kitchen respite and housing teams on treatment plans, changes in clinical status, escalation of care, and discharge planning beginning at admission.
• Ensures patients are connected to appropriate primary, specialty, behavioral health, substance use, benefits, and other services during respite and following discharge.
• Serves as WWH's primary operational clinical liaison to Miriam's Kitchen and participates in interdisciplinary case conferences and operational meetings.
• Develops and maintains relationships and referral processes with hospitals, managed care organizations, community providers, DHS, and other partners.
• Ensures appropriate clinical coverage, after-hours consultation and escalation pathways, safe clinical practice, and timely and accurate documentation.
• Monitors program performance and quality, including referrals, admissions, length of stay, hospital and emergency department utilization, discharge outcomes, clinical outcomes, and safety incidents; develops corrective actions as needed.
• Provides coaching, training, management, and evaluation of staff who are cross-trained and assigned responsibilities across the E Street Medical Respite Program and WWH health center services across locations.
• Provides direct nursing assessment, consultation, patient education, and care coordination as needed to support program operations.
• Flexibility to work various shifts, including holidays, afternoon and evening shifts, and weekends, as required.
• Participates in management meetings to act upon a variety of matters including personnel matters and provides updates and reports as requested.
• Supports management in fact-finding efforts concerning managerial actions or union grievance processing.
• Reviews and makes recommendations for changes to collective bargaining agreements and the Employee Handbook to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Performs other duties assigned.

Budget Responsibilities:

Assists with the development and management of the Medical Respite clinical services budget. Monitors expenditures and works with the Senior Director of Nursing and medical leadership to ensure responsible use of program resources.

Management Responsibilities:

Directly manages Respite Registered Nurses and Respite Certified Nursing Assistants.

Core Whitman-Walker Knowledge, Skills, and Talents Required:

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to manage time and effort to meet strategic objectives and complete work.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing excellent customer service, both internal and external.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to maintain records and information in an accurate, timely and confidential manner.
• Ability to adapt to changes in the service delivery model, re-prioritizing as necessary.
• Flexibility to work within the organizations various locations as necessary.
• Flexibility to cover other positions such as RN or NP as necessary, and within scope of practice.
• Commitment to health equity.

Role Specific- Knowledge, Skills and Talents Required:

• Knowledge of and experience caring for individuals with complex chronic health conditions.
• Knowledge of acute and post-acute care needs that can be appropriately managed in an outpatient or medical respite setting.
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to evaluate whether patient needs can be safely managed within the established capabilities of the program.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement new clinical programs, policies, protocols, procedures, and workflows.
• Strong management and leadership skills, including the ability to supervise, train, coach, and evaluate nursing and medical support staff.
• Demonstrated ability to lead interdisciplinary teams and work effectively across organizational boundaries.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and patient-centered approaches to caring for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Knowledge of behavioral health and substance use disorders and ability to coordinate effectively with behavioral health and substance use treatment providers.
• Sensitivity to all areas of diversity, including HIV status, race, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Highly developed communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to collaborate with health care providers, hospitals, community organizations, housing and homeless services providers, and other external partners.
• Strong organizational, record-keeping, and writing skills, with attention to detail and the ability to work quickly, independently and responsibly in a fast-paced clinic setting.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize electronic health records and other health information systems to support patient care, care coordination, documentation, and quality improvement.
• Ability to use data to evaluate program performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement quality improvement initiatives.
• Ability to adapt to an evolving service delivery model and establish effective systems within a new program.
• Ability to manage competing clinical and operational priorities and respond effectively to urgent or unexpected situations.
• Knowledge of applicable federal and District of Columbia laws and regulations governing health care services and nursing practice.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited nursing program or graduate degree in nursing from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program.
• Current, unrestricted license in the District of Columbia as a Registered Nurse or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner, as applicable, required.
• Five or more years of relevant nursing experience required; experience may include practice as a Registered Nurse and/or Nurse Practitioner.
• At least two years of supervisory or clinical leadership experience required.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification required.
• Experience developing, implementing, or managing clinical programs, workflows, or service lines strongly preferred.
• Experience in medical respite, homeless health care, transitions of care, hospital discharge, community health, complex care management, or another setting serving medically and socially complex populations strongly preferred.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and community-based partner organizations required.
• Experience working with broadly diverse populations required.

Working Conditions:

This position is primarily based at the E Street Medical Respite Program and will also require work at WWH clinical sites and participation in meetings with external partners. Individuals may be required to work evenings and/or weekends as program needs require.

Physical Demands:

• Lifting: No more than 20 lbs. and infrequently.
• Movement: Standing and sitting for long periods.
• Visual: Long periods on computer.
• Concentration: Extended periods of engagement with computer systems where concentration is key to accuracy in data entry. Intermittent periods of engagement with a telephone system to respond to inquiries where concentration is key to task performance.
• Communication: Direct and indirect communication. Written and verbal competency.