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Full Job Description
Facility Description
UofL Health – Peace Hospital is a private, not-for-profit behavioral health care hospital. Founded in 1951 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the 363 licensed bed (261 operating) hospital is one of the largest psychiatric facilities in the nation providing care for children, adolescents and adults.
Our Kosair for Kids Children’s Peace Center is the largest and most comprehensive private provider of youth inpatient behavioral health services in the country. Peace operates a full continuum of behavioral health and substance use services for patients. Specialty programs for children and adolescents who have complex treatment needs, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, forensic issues for females and/or co-occurring substance use issues are also offered.
Key Services:
- Services for patients with emotional/behavioral, psychiatric disorders and/or substance use disorders
- Specialized units for children/adolescents with intellectual and development disabilities
- Treatment for co-occurring disorders with integrated treatment
- Treatment alternatives such as partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs for children, adolescents and adultsDirector of Nursing – Inpatient Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health
Position Summary
The Director of Nursing (DON) for Inpatient Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health is responsible for the overall clinical, operational, and administrative leadership of nursing services within a 24/7 inpatient psychiatric hospital setting. This role ensures the delivery of safe, high-quality, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate care for children and adolescents with acute behavioral health needs. The DON drives clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, staff development, and patient safety in a high-acuity environment.
Key Responsibilities
Operational & Nursing Leadership
- Provide 24/7 leadership and oversight of inpatient psychiatric nursing operations.
- Direct and coordinate all nursing services across child and adolescent inpatient units.
- Ensure appropriate staffing models, acuity-based assignments, and workforce planning.
- Serve as a key member of the hospital leadership team, contributing to operational strategy and program growth.
- Develop and enforce policies, procedures, and clinical protocols specific to inpatient behavioral health.
Clinical & Patient Care Oversight
- Ensure delivery of evidence-based psychiatric nursing care tailored to pediatric populations.
- Oversee management of high-acuity patients, including those with severe behavioral dysregulation, suicidality, aggressive behaviors, and trauma histories.
- Ensure best practices for:
- Milieu management
- De-escalation and crisis intervention
- Suicide prevention protocols
- Use of restraints and seclusion (reduction initiatives)
- Oversee safe medication administration, including psychotropic medication monitoring.
- Partner with psychiatrists and interdisciplinary teams on treatment planning and outcomes.
Safety & Risk Management
- Promote a culture of safety focused on:
- Reduction of incidents (self-harm, aggression, elopement)
- Safe patient handling and crisis response
- Lead root cause analyses (RCA) and implement corrective action plans.
- Monitor and reduce restrictive interventions in alignment with regulatory standards.
- Ensure staff competency in CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) or equivalent.
Regulatory Compliance & Accreditation
- Ensure compliance with:
- Joint Commission Behavioral Health standards
- CMS Conditions of Participation
- State psychiatric hospital licensure requirements
- Lead survey readiness and manage regulatory audits/inspections.
- Oversee policy updates related to patient rights, restraint/seclusion, and documentation standards.
Staff Leadership & Workforce Development
- Recruit, hire, and retain skilled behavioral health nursing staff and mental health technicians.
- Provide leadership oversight to Nurse Managers.
- Implement structured onboarding and competency validation programs for inpatient psychiatric care.
- Lead ongoing staff education on:
- Trauma-informed care
- Pediatric behavioral health
- Crisis intervention and safety practices
- Build a culture of accountability, engagement, and resilience (reducing burnout and turnover).
Quality Improvement & Performance Management
- Monitor and improve key clinical and operational metrics, including:
- Restraint/seclusion rates
- Patient safety incidents
- Medication errors
- Staff injuries
- Patient satisfaction and outcomes
- Lead performance improvement initiatives using data-driven approaches.
- Participate in hospital committees.
Family & Patient Engagement
- Ensure care models support family involvement and communication.
- Promote developmentally appropriate, culturally competent, and patient-centered care.
- Address grievances and participate in service recovery processes.
Financial & Resource Management
- Develop and manage departmental budgets and staffing targets.
- Monitor labor utilization, overtime, and productivity benchmarks.
- Ensure efficient use of resources while maintaining safe staffing levels.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required
- Master’s degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, or related field preferred
Licensure & Certifications
- Active Registered Nurse (RN) license
- Basic Life Support (BLS) required
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC) preferred
Experience
- Minimum 4 years of nursing experience, including inpatient psychiatric care
- Minimum 2 years of progressive leadership in behavioral health (manager or above)
- Direct experience in child/adolescent inpatient behavioral health strongly preferred
- Experience managing high-acuity psychiatric populations and crisis environments required
Key Competencies
- Expertise in inpatient psychiatric nursing operations
- Strong knowledge of behavioral health regulations and accreditation standards
- Advanced crisis management and de-escalation leadership
- Ability to lead in high-stress, high-acuity environments
- Excellent communication and interdisciplinary collaboration skills
- Data-driven decision-making and performance improvement capability
Work Environment
- 24/7 inpatient psychiatric hospital setting
- High-acuity behavioral health units with potential exposure to aggressive or self-harming behaviors
- Requires availability for off-hours, on-call coverage, and emergency response
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Reduction in restraint/seclusion utilization
- Patient and staff safety incident rates
- Staff turnover and engagement scores
- Regulatory survey outcomes
- Quality and clinical outcome metrics
Pay: $102,000.00 – $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Pet insurance
- Professional development assistance
- Relocation assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Education:
- Bachelor’s (Required)
Experience:
- Nurse management: 2 years (Required)
License/Certification:
- Kentucky RN Licensure or Compact Licensure (Required)
- BLS for Providers Certification (Required)
Work Location: In person
