Registered Nurse, Health Care Facility Inspector, South Region

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a Registered Nurse (RN) dedicated to public health, quality of life and safety to conduct comprehensive statewide inspections of health care facilities for approval and licensing by DPH. The ideal candidate will have experience working in a health care setting and an understanding of regulations and policies that apply to nursing homes, hospitals, and other health care facilities in Massachusetts. 

Learn more about what it’s like to work as a DPH nurse

Duties and Responsibilities (these are a general summary and not all inclusive):

•    Inspect and survey hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, home health agencies, facilities for the care and well-being of sick or elderly patients, and other medical facilities statewide to determine compliance with rules and regulations for certification and licensure.
•    Investigate complaints received by the agency relating to patient care and patient rights, and documents findings gathered during inspections.
•    Draft reports on facilities and services relative to compliance with federal requirements and state regulations (based on on-site inspections and document reviews).
•    Evaluate plans of correction submitted from health care facilities and conducts follow up visits to determine ongoing compliance regulations for certification and licensure.
•    Participate in the development of methods for evaluating health care facilities, services and related programs, in order to determine the degree of acceptance and utilization of health care, type and breadth of service, characteristics of recipients, extent of involvement of professional workers, operational costs and other related activities.
•    Serve as a consultant to licensees in interpreting federal/state laws and departmental rules and regulations for the care of patients.
•    Organize and assists in Department orientations, in-service training programs, and provider training / workshops.
•    Provide consultation, guidance, training and technical assistance to the health care facility staff members.

Required Qualifications:

•    Knowledge of the principles and practices of nursing and/or health care administration.
•    Ability to understand, apply and explain the laws, rules, regulations concerning hospital licensure for accreditation.
•    Familiarity with the factors, trends and problems in providing health care services to client groups such as the elderly, children, and mentally, physically and/or emotionally disabled.
•    Capacity to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others, including agency officials, staff associates, other employees, providers, vendors and health care administrators.

Preferred Qualifications:

•    3-5 years of professional experience working in a healthcare facility, preferably nursing homes.
•    Proven experience in a health care profession, in addition to basic investigative skills.
•    General knowledge of state and federal regulations related to hospitals and other health care facilities.
•    Skilled in exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, confidentiality and decision making to achieve objectives.
•    Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills with the capacity to demonstrate strong interpersonal, interviewing, teamwork, communication and organizational skills.
•    Proficient usage of Microsoft Office products including Excel, Word, and Outlook.