Director Workforce Development Jobs in Kentucky (NOW HIRING)

Director 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 4years 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

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited/approved school of nursing (Required).
• Master's Degree in Nursing, Administration, Education or other Leadership field from an accredited/approved school of nursing (Preferred).

• If Master's Degree in other discipline outside of Nursing, then Bachelor Degree in Nursing from an accredited/approved school of nursing.
• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from an accredited/approved school of nursing (Preferred).

Experience:

• A minimum of four (4) years related professional experience, including two (2) years in a leadership level in a matrix management organization. (Required) A portfolio of increasing responsibility will be considered in lieu of traditional management history.

• Proven ability to direct and/or facilitate the work effort of peers and subordinates through teamwork and team building (Required)

• Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively communicate with physicians, hospital staff, educational institution representatives and other professionals (Required)

Licensure: Active Kentucky Registered Nurse License or compact license with privileges to work in Kentucky (Required).

Certification:

• Basic Life Support (BLS) accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA) (Required)
• National Nursing Certification in Field of Specialty obtained if not held at time of hire (Preferred)