At Central Maine Healthcare our team members are committed to providing exceptional care and experiences for our community and for each other every day.

Position Summary: Reporting to the Nurse Leader, the Associate Nurse Leader (ANL) supervises the delivery, evaluation and improvement of patient care on his/her assigned unit. This individual assures all aspects of patient care provided adds value and are integrated with nursing standards of practice, service priorities and performance and outcomes measures, as well as with departmental, business and organizational goals and objectives. In addition, and in concert with the Nurse Leader, the ANL is responsible for achieving expected Quality, Financial, Customer Service, Throughput, and People results.

The ANL actively participates in planning, administering and evaluating the operation of their assigned unit. Under direction of the Nurse Leader, the ANL manager is responsible for the implementation of patient care via policies and procedures, evidence-based practice, American Nurses Association of Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, regulatory agencies and the Maine Nurse Practice Act. The ANL assists in the development of long and short-term goals for their department, promoting quality care and optimal patient outcomes in a fiscally responsible manner. Effectively maintains communication with employees, patients, families, and physicians. The ANL, as appropriate and when necessary, assumes the role Nurse Leader.

Position Requirements:
 Licensed to Practice Nursing in the State of Maine
 Bachelor’s Degree required or within 18 months of completion
• Note: Either Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree must be in nursing
 3 years current related hospital experience, with one year experience of committee/team leadership
 Positive communication skills
 Strong, daily presence in patient care area and ability to consistently assist team in response to patient care needs
 Works well in a rapidly changing environment and under pressure
 Strong customer service philosophy
 Current BLS
Preferred Attributes:
 Specialty/Leadership certification
 Master’s Degree preferred, matriculation in a Master’s degree program required w/in one year of appointment to position

Other Requirements:
 Employees in this position may be exposed to blood, body fluids and/or airborne pathogens and are required to wear personal protective equipment
 Employees in this position must be able to push, pull, lift, carry, turn, crouch, and bend as necessary to complete nursing care tasks, see attached description of physical demands.

Position Expectations:
Leadership
a) At a unit level, utilizes innovative ways to regularly reward and recognize staff (positive emails, personal note cards, recognition at staff meetings, etc.).
b) Promotes unit level team building among all staff and shifts.
c) Effectively manages change at a departmental level
d) Identifies readiness for change and involves staff in change process
e) Responds to change productively, promotes enthusiasm for change
f) Role models professional nursing practice and behavior
g) Actively promotes a culture of safety - recognizes and effectively addresses, with support from Nurse Leader and Human Resources, any and all unit level lateral violence or bullying
h) Maintains awareness of professional standards for Nursing, ongoing health care policies and economics, maintains awareness of future trends and implications of research for improving nursing practice
i) Demonstrates clinical expertise in specific patient population served
j) Participates on assigned teams &/or committees: unit, departmental and hospital based
k) Demonstrates initiative and responsibility to develop personal, leadership and professional goals/ objectives and determines methods to meet these goals and objectives
l) Assumes other duties assigned

Operations:
a) Oversees day-to-day Unit level operations:
 Ensures consistent bedside report at change of shift
 Coordinates department activities
 Develops unit schedule, considering vacation and education requests
 Maintains open, effective and collaborative communication with the medical staff
 Fosters interdisciplinary collaborative relationships
b) Participates in daily patient care rounds
c) Ensure purposefully hourly rounding occurs on all patients
d) Takes appropriate action on patient/family/staff/physician issues and concerns
e) Actively participates in service recovery, notifying Nurse Leader or Director of unresolved patient care or family concerns.
f) Participates in the development of annual goals and objectives for unit;
g) Participates in the development of strategies for meeting goals, communicate the plan to staff, and evaluates outcomes
h) Actively participates in fiscal management of department through the Capital, Operating and FTE Budgets:
 Maintain awareness of hospital financial data, ongoing healthcare policies/ trends and their impact on department
 Assists in the development and management of the Unit budget, proactively assists in developing methods to improve financial performance.
 Assists Nurse Leader in analysis of unit specific productivity
 Assists Nurse Leader in analysis, explanation, and corrective action to address variances to budget
 Assists Nurse Leader in assessing departmental needs in order to staff appropriately for patient needs while maintaining fiscal responsibility
 Demonstrates ability to learn how to interpret financial data and maintains awareness and understanding of financial tools available.
 Monitors equipment, and supply usage/ par levels necessary for unit operation
i) Assumes a patient care assignment when the number and mix of patients and unit staff exceeds staffing availability.

Human Resource Management:
a) Assists Nurse Leader in the selection and development all employees:
 Assists in ongoing educational and professional growth of all employees
 Facilitates staff growth in position expectations
 Assists in the provision of a comprehensive orientation and annual/ongoing competency validation to assure proficiency in performing assigned tasks based on developmental needs
 Ensures staff compliance with hospital expectations
 Actively participates in counseling, documenting deficiencies and setting improvement objectives; monitors and document progress on performance improvement plans
 Completes annual performance evaluations within specific time limits
 Supports all affiliated student programs
b) Performance Management – Under the direction of the Nurse Leader, will actively
 Participate in staff evaluations
 Assist staff with goal-setting
 Implement continual performance development
 Monitor staff for fitness for duty
 Initiate corrective actions
c) Staff Retention
 Assesses staff satisfaction
 Develops and implements strategies to address satisfaction issues and promote retention
 Develops methods to reward and recognize staff
d) Staffing needs
 Participates in the evaluation of staffing patterns and needs
 Matches staff competency with patient acuity
e) Manages human resources within scope of labor laws

Communication:
a) Maintains awareness of verbal/ nonverbal communication in interactions with staff, other departments, physicians, patients, families and students
b) Collaborates and communicates effectively with all members of the health care team; shares information to ensure staff, physicians, and affected departments are aware of unit changes
c) Maintains patient, staff and hospital confidentiality in all communication interactions: written, verbal, electronic and digital
d) Demonstrates ability to initiate and manage crucial conversations and coach leadership team/staff in same; resolves and manages conflict
e) Utilizes daily huddles to keep channels of communication open. Gives appropriate feedback in a timely manner to questions and concerns.

Customer Service :
a) Displays positive attitude. Treats others with honesty and respect. Speaks positively in all customer interactions internal and external.
b) Assess customer satisfaction when rounding on patients and use appropriate chain of command for unresolved issues or problems.
c) Use AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank you) to:
 Optimize the patient’s experience by reducing the patient and family’s anxiety and increasing the patient’s compliance
d) Develop positive relationships with other departments to foster patient satisfaction
e) Intervene with patients /staff using crucial conversation skills in situations in which customer needs have not been met to determine a positive, mutually agreeable resolution
f) Assesses customer service by reviewing and responding to patient satisfaction surveys

Professional Growth:
a) Accepts responsibility for and demonstrates personal professional growth:
 Identify own learning needs, develops and implements a plan to address those needs
 Accepts feedback/input from peers, direct supervisor and direct reports, as necessary, to identify areas for growth or deficiencies
 Obtains specialty certification or training and maintains active membership in professional organizations

Process Improvement:
In conjunction with Nurse Leader, Team Leaders and Staff:
a) Develops unit key measures
b) Consistently utilizes PI principles for inter/intra departmental interactions
c) Develops tools and collects data as indicated
d) Uses data to drive Performance Improvement: able to aggregate data and present information so that Nurse Leader, Associate Nurse Leader, Team Leader, and staff can determine a course of action.
e) Initiate changes in practice based upon PI data
f) Maintain mechanism to inform/ involve staff of PI processes and data
g) Develop and maintain ongoing understanding of nursing best practices for the types of patients for which care is provided
h) Develop and maintain awareness of TJC (The Joint Commission), CMS (Centers for Medicare Services) and other required quality and safety measures
i) Identifies potential sentinel events and informs Nurse Leader or designee
j) Participates in root cause analysis
k) Investigates and consistently resolves department occurrence reports in timely manner
Note: Failure to adhere to Central Maine Health Care Core Values and Code of Conduct AT ALL TIMES AT WORK, or to complete 100% of training and in-service requirements may result in disciplinary action up to and including removal or position and may result in no pay increase for the year.

AGE SPECIFIC COMPETENCY: Dependent upon department and the patient population:
Neonatal (Birth thru 28 days)
a) Handles infants in gentle manner
b) Speaks in soothing voice
c) Holds and cuddles infant when necessary
d) Facilitates parental interaction and care of infant
Infant (29 days thru 12 months)
a) Approaches infant in slow, non-threatening way
b) Speaks in soothing way
c) Holds and cuddles infant as much as possible
d) Encourages parental interaction with infant
e) Allows for familiar toys/blankets to be brought from home
Pediatrics (one year thru 11 years)
a) Allows choices when possible
b) Speaks directly using few, clear, simple terms and explanations
c) Limits number of strangers entering room
d) Provides consistent nursing assignments
e) Does not shame parents for lack of cooperation
f) Holds child for painful procedures
Adolescents (12 years thru 18 years)
a) Allows participation in care and choices as appropriate
b) Provides for patient's modesty
c) Tells patient exactly what will be expected
d) Allows patient control
e) Speaks directly to patient in simple medical terms
Geriatrics (65 years and older)
a) Identifies physical/social/emotional barriers and physical limitations at discharge
b) Teaches patient about one item at a time
c) Repeats instructions several times
d) Speaks slowly and distinctly when talking to the patient

If you are passionate about making a difference and are looking for your next great career opportunity, we look forward to reviewing your application!