When interviewing for a new position, don’t forget that an interview is a two-sided exchange. “Not only is the facility interviewing you to determine if you’re a good fit for them, but as the interviewee, you should also interview them to do the same,” says Alexis Roam, MSN, RN-BC, DNS-CT, QCP, curriculum development specialist for the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN).

Here’s what every director of nursing services (DNS) should consider before interviewing for their next position.

There are many moments in life when it pays to be flexible, but choosing a new workplace merits thoughtful consideration. Simply learning about what another company has to offer and thinking “that could work for me” isn’t the same as proactively finding a great fit.

Some people flourish in structured, corporate environments with clear processes and procedures. Others prefer family-owned environments, where there is less structure and support, but more empowerment and decision-making responsibilities.

CDC provides information on COVID-19 vaccinations for residents and staff:

• Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination for Residents of Long-term Care Facilities
• The Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination for Healthcare Personnel

Nurses have often heard “if it wasn’t documented, it wasn’t done,” but they still struggle to consistently capture documentation that is timely, accurate, and comprehensive. This struggle sometimes emerges when underlying system failures go unaddressed by leadership. To fix this, the director of nursing services (DNS) and other nurse leaders need to improve the processes that are interfering with sound documentation practices and provide education that links a nurse’s skills to the documentation.

To accomplish these goals, the American Association of Directors of Nursing Services (AADNS) recently published the Documentation Toolkit for the Nurse Leader, which contains several helpful tools and resources to make lasting improvements to nursing documentation. Alexis Roam, MSN, RN-BC, DNS-CT, QCP, curriculum development specialist for AADNS, shares some tips for how DNSs and other nurse leaders can use this tool to review their processes and overcome documentation pitfalls.