title: Managing up, down, and across the nursing home: roles and responsibilities of directors of nursing.
abstract: The director of nursing (DON) is an essential member of the top management team in nursing homes and in a key position to improve the quality and value of care. This article describes and examines the roles and responsibilities of DONs as perceived by a convenience sample of current/previous DONs and nursing home administrators (n = 29). Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews and analyzed using content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings reveal a broad scope and wide variation in the DON position across settings, with inextricable linkages between clinical care and other aspects of care delivery, such as managing fiscal and human resources (HR). As RN licensure is the only Federal requirement for the DON position, suggesting a clinical focus, the findings highlight a policy-practice gap. Research is needed to address this gap, focusing on the requisite preparation DONs need to effectively and cost-efficiently lead initiatives for quality improvement.
authors: Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, UC Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. elena.siegel@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
authors: Elena O
authors: EO
authors: Siegel
authors: Heather M
authors: HM
authors: Young
authors: Michael C
authors: MC
authors: Leo
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: Santillan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011050:Policy Making; D011361:Professional Competence; D014481:United States
keywords: directors of nursing; nursing education; nursing home; nursing management