Vice President Patient Care Services Chief Nursing Officer

Position Summary

Serves as the top-nursing executive to provide leadership and administrative direction for nursing services. Ensures compliance with external regulatory and professional standards and internal standards of care.

Formulates and shares a comprehensive vision for delivering healthcare in a practice culture that is patient focused and cost effective. Supports and facilitates the Hospital’s commitment to quality improvement through interdisciplinary teamwork and empowerment.

Creates and strengthens strong professional relationships with the physicians, the executive management team and the internal and external nursing community.

1. Operations

Integrates into practice organizational objectives included in the strategic plan, which recognize the overall mission of the organization and the healthcare needs of the community.

Implements, interprets and ensures compliance with the philosophies and policies established by the executive management staff and the Hospital Board.

• 2. Professional Clinical Nursing Practice
• Designs organizational structure and practice to reflect utilization of available resources and responsiveness to personal and professional development of nursing staff.
• Defines and interprets nursing practice and care needs of the patient.
• Establishes and maintains a suitable, caring environment of patient care.

Develops and implements policies, standards and programs that support professional practice models with a patient centered care focus.

Provide mechanisms for staff participation in the development, implementation and evaluation of nursing policies and programs at all levels of the corporate structure.

• Ensure competent staff with appropriate skill mix to assure expected health care outcomes.
• Sets the climate for a collaborative practice setting with physicians, nurses, and other caregivers and support departments.
• 3. Resource Management
• Participates with other members of the executive team in developing, implementing and evaluating Hospital policies and programs related to the determination and allocation of financial, human, material, and information resources.
• Establishes and maintains a financial plan that integrates Hospital mission/goals.
• Participates with the executive team in financial forecasting and planning.
• Review annual budgets submitted by department directors and make adjustments as necessary to ensure financial stability.
• Insure that authorized budgetary procedures are properly used in assigned departments.
• Reviews variances from budget on a regular basis.
• Implements corrective actions when needed.
• Ensure the development of policies and programs that are economically feasible and conducive to the personal and professional development of the nursing staff within the context of the organization as a whole.
• Develops a plan to ensure recruitment and retention of qualified staff and leadership team.

Ensures the prudent utilization of all cost item resource used by nursing while assuring patient safety and adequate allocation for the provision of nursing care.

Support most beneficial integration of nursing information system into the Hospital's overall information system.

4. Risk Management

Assure a safe environment for patients and personnel and monitor reports of any potential safety hazards. Implement corrective actions if needed.

• Assure there is a process for formulating and updating of all appropriate policies and procedures.
• Assure there is a process to assess and monitor documentation compliance of medical records related to clinical areas of responsibility.
• Assure there is a process for obtaining the necessary and timely availability of equipment and supplies.

Assure there is a process to investigate any unusual employee/patient incidents to fact find, document, report, and initiate appropriate corrective action in a timely fashion. Evaluate and monitor follow-up of problem area that is identified.

• 5. Education and Research
• Ensure an overall plan for the orientation and staff development for clinical staff and management/administrative staff.
• Seek opportunities for cooperative efforts with other department, disciplines, and agencies.
• Support jointly sponsored continuing education programs or research activities among department, other Hospitals, colleges, universities and industry.
• Support nursing and other allied health programs to utilize the Hospital for student clinical rotations.
• 6. Professional Growth and Development
• Promote self-growth through attendance of seminars, advanced education, and healthcare journals/publications.
• Network with internal and external professional colleagues to brainstorm, problem-solve, and share ideas.

7. Performs other related job duties as requested.

Required

• Masters degree in relevant field of healthcare.
• Current State of Michigan Registered Nurse license.

Preferred

Five years of prior work experience in successful management experience at or above the Director level in an acute care setting.

Ten or more years of prior work experience in recent nursing experience.