A Day in the Life of a Director of Nursing

The day of a Director of Nursing (DON) is a hectic one. Caring for residents in assisted living and skilled nursing isn’t as simple as checking items off a list, there are multiple factors and people influencing their health daily—and it all needs to be documented.

A DON in nursing is accountable for the quality of care provided to residents, administrative tasks, managing nursing staff, and helping their facility meet established strategic goals. Along with compiling and reviewing documentation created throughout the day.

With so many responsibilities, getting everything done in a timely and efficient manner is a challenge, especially without the right technology in place. Utilizing an integrated system can save time on reviewing reports, overseeing nursing care, managing alerts, and collaborating with other care professionals.

Below, we’ve broken down what a typical day could look like for a DON with and without an integrated platform.

The Impact of EHR on a Director of Nursing’s Daily Tasks

At the beginning of a Director of Nursing shift, the focus is typically on ensuring a smooth transition from the previous shift, assessing the current status of the nursing unit and planning for the day ahead.

An EHR system streamlines the DON’s job duties by providing real-time, accurate information and facilitating efficient communication and collaboration. Without an EHR, the DON must rely on manual processes that are time-consuming and prone to errors.

Here’s a comparison:

Without an EHR:

• Handover Meeting: Rely on verbal reports and paper documentation, which can be incomplete or inaccurate.
• Review of Patient Care: Manually review paper charts and records, which is time-consuming and error prone.
• Staffing Assessment: Manually review staffing schedules and workload reports, which can be outdated.
• Rounding: Carry paper charts and records during rounds, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.
• Administrative Tasks: Manually review and approve paper documents, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Quality Assurance: The DON must rely on manual checks to ensure compliance with care plans.
• Collaboration with Other Departments: Communicate through phone calls, faxes, or paper memos, which is less efficient.

Streamlining End-of-shift Procedures with EHR

By the end of the shift, the DON aims to leave the facility in a well-organized state, with all critical tasks completed and the next shift fully prepared to continue providing high-quality care. This structured approach ensures that the things run smoothly, and residents receive the best possible care.

An EHR system streamlines the end-of-shift routine for a DON by providing real-time information, automating tasks, and enhancing communication and collaboration. See the difference in efficiency with this quick comparison:

Without an EHR:

• Manual MDS Updates: The DON must manually update MDS assessments, increasing the risk of inaccuracies and delays.
• Manual Identification: They must manually identify discrepancies or missing information, which can be challenging and time-consuming.
• Manual Corrections: DON responsibilities include making corrections manually, with changes not instantly reflected across all relevant documents.
• Paper Shift Reports: They must prepare a paper shift report, which can be cumbersome and less accessible for the incoming shift.
• Verbal Handoffs: The DON relies on verbal handoffs, which can lead to incomplete or inaccurate information.
• Manual Audits: They must perform manual audits of care plans, medication administration records, and other critical documents, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Manual Reports: The DON must manually prepare administrative reports, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.

The Critical Role of EHR in Skilled Nursing

Without an EHR system, a DON may find documentation discrepancies that could lead to costly deficiencies and delayed assessments.

PointClickCare’s EHR for Skilled Nursing is a secure and fully integrated cloud-based platform that enables seamless care transitions, empowers care teams, and optimizes clinical and financial outcomes.

Our cloud-based platform offers an end-to-end toolset to help you thrive as a care provider and as a business. Accurately capture care plans and key clinical resident statistics from diagnoses, allergies, and immunizations to weights and vitals to improve care outcomes and meet changing patient needs.

By sharing critical data elements across the platform, PointClickCare reduces documentation discrepancies, duplication, and gaps in records. This ensures that the DON has access to a single, comprehensive source of information, saving time and providing a holistic view of facility operations, enhancing decision support.

By streamlining processes and ensuring accurate documentation, the system contributes to better patient outcomes and satisfaction. Learn more about how PointClickCare can support your skilled nursing facility by watching this video or contacting our team online.