Director of Nurses Requirements for the District of Columbia

3201 ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT

3201.3 The Administrator shall appoint the Director of Nursing, the Medical Director, the Assistant Administrator, a licensed registered nurse and a department head or another licensed or approved Administrator to act as Administrator in his or her absence.

3206 RESIDENT CARE POLICIES

3206.1 There shall be written policies to govern nursing care and related medical and other services provided.

3206.2 These policies shall be developed with the advice of a committee of professional personnel, including the Medical Director, the Director of Nursing and appropriate department heads as deemed necessary by the facility.

3208 NURSING SERVICES

3208.1 A licensed registered nurse shall be employed full-time as Director of Nursing Services, except as provided in this section.

3208.2 If the Director of Nursing is temporarily absent, the responsibility for continuity and supervision of nursing services shall be delegated to a licensed registered nurse.

3208.3 Each Director of Nursing hired after the effective date of these regulations shall have, at a minimum, a District of Columbia license as a registered nurse and:
(a) A Bachelor's degree; or
(b) Three (3) years of clinical experience in appropriate nursing specialties that may include geriatric, rehabilitation or psychiatric care and/or other related clinical areas.

3208.4 Each Director of Nursing shall participate annually in a minimum of twelve (12) hours of continuing education programs relating to geriatric, administration, or related areas of care.

3208.5 The Director of Nursing shall provide for, at a minimum, the following:
(a) Delivery of nursing care services in accordance with these rules;
(b) Developing and maintaining nursing service objectives, standards of practice, policy and procedure manuals, and written job descriptions for each level of nursing personnel;
(c) Planning for and recommending to the Administrator the number and
levels of nursing personnel to be employed;
(d) Coordinating nursing personnel, which includes the following:
(1) Recruitment;
(2) Selection;
(3) Position assignment;
(4) Orientation;
(5) In-service education;
(6) Supervision; and
(7) Termination;
(e) Developing a staffing plan that considers residents’ needs for various types of nursing care;
(f) Working with the medical staff and the interdisciplinary team in developing and implementing policies for resident care;
(g) Working with other employees to ensure that the interdisciplinary care plan (ICP) is coordinated and maintained; and
(h) Working with the Administrator and the Medical staff or Medical Director in the allocation of funds for facility programs.

3209 NURSING SERVICES SUPERVISION

3209.1 A Nursing Services Supervisor shall be on duty at all times.

3209.2 Each Nursing Services Supervisor shall:
(a) Be qualified by education or experience in geriatric, rehabilitation or psychiatric nursing or other appropriate nursing discipline, with appropriate documentation; and
(b) Be currently licensed as a registered nurse in the District of Columbia.

3209.3 The Director of Nursing may serve as the Nursing Services Supervisor while on his or her regular tour of duty, if the facility has a licensed bed capacity of thirty (30) or less.

3209.4 A charge nurse may serve as the Nursing Services Supervisor when he or she is a registered nurse.