DONs in long-term care facilities: contemporary roles, current credentials, and educational needs

The need for educated nursing leaders in long-term care facilities is critical now and will continue to be well into this century. The purpose of this research was to replicate and geographically extend a descriptive survey conducted by Heine (1995) to determine the roles and responsibilities of directors of nursing (DONs) in long-term care nursing facilities (LTCNF) as well as their educational preparation, current professional credentials, and educational needs. 945 DONs in LTCNF in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) as identified in state directories of nursing home facilities were surveyed. Completed questionnaires were returned by 247 DONs for an overall response rate of 26%. DONs in LTCNF reported that they were most involved in roles/responsibilities related to nursing/health services management and least involved in professional nursing and long-term care management.