Leadership Onboarding

Read and understand complete role expectations, accountabilities, and performance standards for the $170K DON position.

Study the 8 pillars of HospiTEL culture (Hospitality, One Standard, Safety First, Personalized Care, Innovation, Teamwork, Empathy, Leadership as Service) and how they integrate into daily operations.

Complete orientation to the DON Weekly Dashboard, understanding all sections, metrics, and reporting requirements.

Internalize the accountability framework: Patient → Team → Self. Learn how every decision prioritizes patient needs first, team cohesion second, and individual preferences third.

Learn the 'listen before explaining' approach, family call-back requirements after incidents, and medication safety loop-closing protocols.

Read and understand all IRF-specific Conditions of Participation, focusing on nursing services requirements, 24/7 RN availability, and documentation standards.

Learn the 13 qualifying diagnoses, compliance calculation methodology, and nursing's role in preadmission screening and admission coordination.

Understand the intensive rehabilitation therapy requirement (3 hours/day, 5 days/week) and nursing's role in patient preparation and therapy coordination.

Learn Section GG (Functional Abilities), Section H (Bladder/Bowel), Section D (Medical Needs) coding requirements and submission deadlines.

Understand all quality measures (functional outcomes, CAUTI, CDI, MRSA, pressure ulcers, readmissions) and submission requirements.

Complete your first weekly DON dashboard with guidance from outgoing DON or supervisor. Practice all sections and metrics.

Attend and observe weekly IDT meetings to understand team dynamics, patient case discussions, and discharge planning processes.

Learn the 'Therapists train, Nurses teach' philosophy. Understand nursing responsibilities for patient/family education on all 6 robotic devices (Lokomat, Ekso, Bioness Vector, ROBERT, HydroWorx, Bemo).

Learn labor cost per patient day targets, overtime percentage limits, agency usage restrictions, and supply cost variance monitoring.

Understand RN turnover targets (<15%), vacancy rate limits (<10%), time-to-fill standards (<45 days), and new hire retention goals (>85% at 90 days).

Review CAUTI prevention bundles, C-Diff isolation protocols, MRSA surveillance, and hand hygiene monitoring systems.

Understand fall risk assessment tools, hourly rounding protocols, bed alarm systems, and post-fall huddle procedures.

Learn Braden Scale assessment, turning schedules, specialty surface criteria, and hospital-acquired pressure ulcer (HAPU) investigation procedures.

Review continuous survey readiness checklist, mock survey protocols, and plan of correction development processes.

Learn preadmission screening requirements (within 48 hours), post-admission physician evaluation (within 24 hours), IPOC development (within 4 days), and discharge summary completion (within 48 hours of discharge).

Develop a consistent weekly routine for dashboard data collection, metric review, and report submission by Monday 8 AM.

Establish collaborative partnership with Director of Rehabilitation. Schedule weekly sync meetings to discuss therapy-nursing coordination, patient barriers, and shared quality goals.

Begin studying for Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) certification to demonstrate expertise in rehabilitation nursing.

Subscribe to Federal Register email alerts for 'Medicare Program' and CMS IRF PPS webpage updates to stay current with regulatory changes.

Lead or participate in monthly mock surveys to identify deficiencies before actual surveys. Review findings and implement corrective actions.