Director of Clinical Practice - RN(EC) (Extended Class) Full-Time

JOB POSTING – DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL PRACTICE

“How do you live in the moment?”

We are passionate about ‘Making Every Moment Matter’™. We are seeking a candidate that shares our values - a person who has a passion to make a difference, who has a strong moral compass and who has a commitment to teamwork. The ideal candidate is a warm and loving person who makes meaningful connections with those they are caring for.

The Director of Clinical Practice reports to the Executive Director, with accountability to the Director of Care and to the Medical Director. 

The Director of Clinical Practice is a supervisory, management role responsible for providing and leading advanced clinical care for residents, while supporting safe, compliant care delivery across the Home. Practicing autonomously within the extended class scope and CNO Nurse Practitioner Practice Standard, the Director of Clinical Practice assesses, diagnoses, treats, and monitors resident health conditions and collaborates with physicians and the care team to implement integrated care plans. 

The Director of Clinical Practice contributes to clinical program implementation (e.g., chronic disease management, wound care, deprescribing/medication optimization, antimicrobial stewardship supports), employee coaching and education, and continuous quality improvement to improve outcomes and resident/family experience. This role includes responsibilities such as coaching, performance support, and involvement in hiring and termination decisions for Clinical Care Leads, consistent with organizational policy and employment legislation.

Wage Rate:

The starting annual salary is $130,000. 

Vacancy: 

This is an existing vacancy.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Clinical Leadership & Practice

• Provide leadership governance with strategic direction, oversight, and continuous improvement of clinical practice across the Home.
• Participate in Professional Advisory Committee meetings and other committees as required.
• Provide comprehensive primary care services to residents using a person-centred approach, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and follow-up within the Nurse Practitioner scope and authority.
• Complete move-in, annual, and change-in-condition assessments, including medication reconciliation and participation in care conferences and care planning.
• Provide consultation, coaching, and clinical decision support to the Director of Care, Assistant Director of Care and Clinical Care Leads for complex and high-risk clinical situations.
• Prescribe, deprescribe, and manage medications and treatments in accordance with CNO standards and safe medication practice, including monitoring for effectiveness, adverse effects, and drug interactions.
• Support medication safety initiatives (e.g., medication review processes, reducing high-risk prescribing, supporting appropriate documentation and follow-up).
• Collaborate with the Medical Director and Attending Physicians to support timely clinical decisions, medical orders implementation, and continuity of care.
• Coordinate and consult with nursing, allied health, and interdisciplinary partners (internal and external) to implement and evaluate resident plans of care.
• Initiate and coordinate referrals to specialists, community services, diagnostics, and other providers; ensure results are reviewed, and follow-up is completed.
• Lead and support a palliative approach to care, including goals-of-care conversations, advance care planning support (as applicable), and coordination with residents/substitute decision-makers and the interdisciplinary team.
• Provide clinical leadership for end-of-life symptom management, comfort measures, and timely reassessment; support employee coaching to ensure compassionate, consistent care across shifts.
• Collaborate with the Medical Director/physicians, pharmacy, community palliative resources, hospice/palliative consult teams, and other external partners to strengthen palliative supports and reduce avoidable transfers.
• Provide ongoing education and coaching to the Clinical Care Leads and registered staff on clinical best practices (e.g., wound prevention/treatment, pain and symptom management, deprescribing principles, and transfer avoidance pathways).
• Develop and deliver targeted in-services based on quality indicators, audit findings, incident trends, and emerging best practices; evaluate learning uptake through observation, chart audits, and follow-up coaching.
• Support onboarding and refresher education by creating/maintaining quick-reference tools (clinical pathways, checklists, SBAR templates, symptom management guides) and ensuring consistent use across shifts.
• Support regulatory readiness by ensuring clinical practices and documentation align with policies and procedures; contribute to “inspection-ready” documentation practices.
• Reinforce professional documentation standards (accuracy, completeness, timeliness) and coach employees on documentation expectations.
• Identify, escalate, and support mitigation of clinical and operational risks; contribute to investigation, analysis, and prevention planning as required.
• Support mandatory reporting requirements under FLTCA/O. Reg. 246/22 and Home’s processes (including timely documentation, escalation, and follow-through as applicable).
• In collaboration with the IPAC Manager/Lead actively support the Home’s IPAC program by reinforcing routine practices, outbreak readiness, and clinical guidance during outbreaks/emerging infectious disease events in alignment with the IPAC Standard for LTC Homes and public health direction.
• Provide supervisory leadership and coaching to Clinical Care Leads, including expectation setting, competence development, and reinforce accountability.
• Lead the recruitment, selection, onboarding and performance management for Clinical Care Leads.
• Complete performance check-ins and appraisals (as assigned) and address performance/behaviour concerns through coaching and corrective action, including progressive discipline up to and including termination, in consultation with Director of Care/Executive Director and in accordance with policy and legislation.
• Maintain confidentiality and protect personal health information in accordance with PHIPA and organizational privacy policies. 
• Use clinical systems and digital tools (including AI-enabled features where available) to support care, documentation, and quality monitoring, while ensuring outputs are used responsibly and do not replace clinical judgment.
• Promote a safe workplace by supporting Occupational Health & Safety practices, hazard and reporting. 
• Participate in fire safety and emergency preparedness processes (including leadership support during emergencies and post-incident debriefs), consistent with LTC emergency planning expectations.
• Provide responsive, respectful customer service to residents and families/caregivers through timely communication, service recovery, and coordination of follow-up with the care team.

     Continuous Quality Improvement, Innovation and Research 

• Lead and/or support the development and implementation of clinical policies, procedures, and pathways aligned with current evidence, regulatory expectations, and organizational standards.
• Monitor and improve indicators such as new or worsened pressure injuries/pressure ulcers (Stage 2–4) and ensure timely prevention/treatment actions (risk assessment, repositioning, support surfaces, wound consult pathways, documentation).
• Lead medication optimization and deprescribing initiatives with pharmacy and physicians, including tracking of indicators such as:
  • Potentially inappropriate antipsychotic use (e.g., interRAI QI without psychosis) and documented non-pharmacologic approaches.
• Reduce avoidable ED transfers/hospitalizations by tracking and analyzing
• Lead case reviews for repeat transfers and implement improvement actions (clinical pathways, early intervention triggers, staff education).
• Collaborate on education, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice initiatives to improve resident outcomes and system performance (including CARF-aligned performance improvement where applicable).
• Identifies and implements research-based innovations for improving resident care and collaborates with members of the interdisciplinary team and/or community to identify research opportunities and to conduct and/or support research
• Acts as a catalyst for change through knowledge translation and dissemination of new knowledge that may include formal presentations, publications, informal discussions, the development of best practices, policies and procedures
• Perform other duties as assigned and or indicated in the Job Task Inventory.

Qualifications:

The qualifications needed to join our family are as follows:

• Registration: Current registration in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) as a Nurse Practitioner — RN(EC) (Extended Class). 
  • Candidates registered as an NP in another Canadian jurisdiction who are eligible for Ontario RN(EC) practice are welcome to apply. 
• Professional liability: Maintains Professional Liability Protection (PLP) appropriate to NP scope, as required by CNO by-laws.
• Demonstrated ability to practise autonomously within NP scope, using evidence-informed clinical judgment to assess, diagnose, treat, and monitor residents and to collaborate effectively with Physicians/Medical Director.
• Comprehensive knowledge of evidence-based clinical practice and a strong understanding of long-term care concepts and philosophies (frailty, dementia, polypharmacy, chronic disease, palliative approaches, etc.).
• Demonstrated leadership, supervision, mentoring/coaching experience, and supporting performance expectations (including hiring/selection recommendations where assigned).
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, conflict resolution and service recovery skills.
• Strong documentation skills and comfort with EHR/EMR systems and clinical reporting tools.
• Post-graduate education and/or experience in gerontology (recommended).
• Specialty certification in gerontological nursing (recommended).
• Experience working as a Nurse Practitioner in Long-Term Care (preferred) or geriatrics/primary care/complex continuing care.
• Experience leading or participating in education, research, and quality improvement/evidence-based practice initiatives.
• Experience providing leadership and supervision in any healthcare environment.
• Ability to integrate emotional intelligence into care interactions and promote resident well-being.
• To show evidence of being focused on people’s feelings when interacting and knowing how to turn a task into positive social interaction.
• To undertake and meet all legal requirements within a context of promoting individuals’ rights and measuring/reducing elements of risk.
• Must provide a complete and current (within six months) Vulnerable Sector Check (including a Criminal Background Check) or be willing to obtain one
• As a condition of employment, candidates are required to submit documented results of TB testing (within the last six months or within 14 days upon hire) or a chest X-ray (within the last year), as per Public Health requirements
• Two supervisory references required
• Provide proof of all required vaccines.  The Employer strongly recommends to “stay up to date” with the recommended vaccines.  Vaccination requirements are subject to changes as determined by the Employer.

What do we offer you? 

• Competitive wages
• Employee benefits
• Employee perks
• Employee and Family Assistance Program 
• Support for personal and professional growth

We look forward to speaking with you and Making Every Moment Matter™. Although we appreciate all applicants' interest, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

As part of our recruitment process, we may use secure, limited AI tools to assist with administrative tasks such as organizing applications or analyzing role alignment. These tools are used solely to support our recruitment team. All hiring decisions are made by people.

We are committed to ensuring our hiring practices are equitable, inclusive, and privacy conscious. Any personal information collected or processed is handled in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Act (PIPEDA) and our internal privacy policies.

We strive to be diverse, inclusive, fair, equitable and accessible by addressing barriers and promoting dignity and respect for all.  If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please contact the hiring manager.