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Summit BHC
Kingsport, Tennessee

Chief Nursing Officer - Behavioral Health

Registered NurseIncludes callFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 36m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Chief Nursing Officer - Behavioral Health | Creekside Behavioral Health | Kingsport, Tennessee

About the Job

PURPOSE STATEMENT:

The Chief Nursing Officer is responsible and accountable for providing professional nursing care to patients.

Directs, plans, coordinates, monitors and supervises the effective and efficient use of the operations of nursing and the safe delivery of behavioral health/nursing services with a positive, empathetic, and professional attitude.

Ensures the development, implementation, and evaluation of. policies, programs, and services consistent with the facility’s strategic goals and objectives.

Roles and Responsibilities

Sets the vision for nursing practice in the delivery of safe, timely, efficient, equitable and patient centered care. Manages the daily operations of nursing services.

Identifies and prioritizes issues of importance, including those priority issues as set by leadership. Collaborates with department leaders and corporate leaders, as needed.

Communicates instructions, expectations and timelines clearly and concisely.

Develops, maintains and implements nursing services, policies and procedures that conform to current standards of nursing practice and accrediting agencies, facility philosophy and operational policies while maintaining compliance with state, federal and local governmental agencies laws and regulations.

Develops and interprets operational indicators to detect census and acuity changes and increases or decreases in volume that could impact staffing levels, revenues or expenses. Acts to correct undesirable trends. Allocates nursing resources based on measurement of patient acuity/care needed.

Leads a team of highly qualified and engaged department members thru hiring, orienting, performance assessment and management, motivating, training, scheduling, and coaching to meet department and facility goals. Ensures adequate staffing.

Maintains productivity levels that are aligned with client census, curtailing unnecessary overtime and/or excessive staff work hours.

  • Manages staff scheduling and maintains an updated plan for contingency staffing.
  • Maintains accountability expectations for self and staff in all areas of job performance.
  • Engages staff in quality and safety basics to ensure sustained, measurable compliance.

Identifies staff educational needs and ensures they are addressed with education programs that are attended by staff.

Holds staff accountable for non-compliance and client safety concerns, as well as attendance, following policies, behavior, and adherence to code of conduct.

Makes nursing diagnosis of the medical and emotional status of patients and recommends treatment options. Consults with psychiatrists and other behavioral health staff in designing appropriate treatment plans for patients. Provides overall supervision of patient assessments and care plans. Coordinates nursing services with all other departments.

Participates in daily or weekly management team meetings to discuss patient’s status, identify indicators for reassessment of patient’s condition, reaction/responsiveness and involvement of other disciplines. Discusses census changes, patient or staff complaints or concerns.

Establishes, implements and monitors the infection control program and safety. Prepares or reviews infection control surveillance reports to identify trends and to develop effective actions to control and prevent infections.

Collaborates with interdisciplinary treatment teams, other departments and administration to ensure that all patient’s physical, biopsychosocial, age, developmental and cultural needs are met.

Develops and implements health care related training that assures the best possible delivery of health-related supports and services.

Assists the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the preparation and administration of the organization's budget. Manages budget and operates within approved budget while providing excellent quality of care. Actively participate in strategic planning and budget development.

Maintains adequate and appropriate inventory of supplies and equipment for the provision of patient services.

Oversees the maintenance of patient clinical records, statistics, reports and records for purposes of evaluation and reporting of organization activities.

Assists CEO in preparing staff for inspection survey. Participates in the preparation and implementation of the Plan of Correction response to an inspection survey.

Monitors unit/floor functioning by making frequent rounds. Intervenes in crisis situations and investigates incidents. Analyzes, reviews and completes follow up on incident reports related to nursing/patient safety issues in conjunction with Risk Management.

May be required to provide onsite coverage for other programs when needed, develops, and executes new programs according to market needs and may provide training, case consultation and Administrator On Call coverage during and after program hours as needed.

Performs Leadership Rounds as assigned to include observation and immediate identification of environment of care, safety, and infection control concerns, as well as real time education of new facility processes.

Assumes patient care assignment in emergency situations as needed.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree required.

Five or more years’ nursing experience required. Three or more years’ experience in psychiatric or behavioral health required.

Skills in assessment, considerable knowledge of nursing principles and practice, staffing, budgeting, employee management, regulatory requirements and documentation of care; ability to meet regulatory requirements.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

  • Valid current RN license from the state or from a compact state, where applicable.
  • Certified in Psychiatric Nursing preferred.
  • CPR and de-escalation and restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
  • First aid may be required based on state or facility.

WORK LOCATION: This position is onsite at the facility and is not a remote position.

Supervisory Requirements

Five or more years progressive management experience required.

Why Creekside Behavioral Health? Creekside Behavioral Health offers a comprehensive benefit plan and a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume. Creekside Behavioral Health is an EOE.

Veterans and military spouses are highly encouraged to apply. Summit BHC is dedicated to serving Veterans with specialized programming at our treatment centers across the country. We recognize and value the unique strengths of the military community in supporting our mission to serve those who have served.

Key Responsibilities

The Chief Nursing Officer directs and supervises nursing operations to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of behavioral health services. They are responsible for strategic planning, budget management, staff development, and maintaining compliance with regulatory standards.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and possess at least five years of nursing experience, including three years in psychiatric or behavioral health. A valid RN license and five or more years of progressive management experience are also required.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Nursing leadershipStaff managementRegulatory compliancePatient assessmentClinical operationsQuality assuranceCrisis interventionStaff trainingPerformance management

Nursing Administration — Registered Nurse Career Context

Of the 50 active Nursing Leadership listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 54% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Nursing Leadership by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score4.5 / 10 · above average in nursing leadershipranked against 1,187 Nursing Leadership listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedNursing Leadership median $66k (middle half $62k–$68k)10 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost of livingTennessee index 91.9US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Nursing Leadership listings in Tennessee150 active6,001 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 44% remote · 54% no call · 68% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,187 Nursing Leadership listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Registered Nurse Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

36 jobs · 35 employers
7
<$95k
9
$95k-115k
12
$115k-135k
7
$135k-155k
1
$165k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs
401k / retirement match
100%
Loan repayment
10%
Sign-on bonus
7%
CME allowance
7%
PSLF eligible
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Director of Nursing DON - Acute Inpatient Mental Health 264

Telecare · Shelton, Washington

$144k-$165k
#2

Asst. Director of Nursing - Ambulatory Care - Newkirk Avenue

Maimonides Medical Center · Brooklyn, New York

$136,708 - $150,000
#3

Psychiatric Nurse Manager - Women's Mental Health

$150k
#4

Director of Nursing

$128k-$146k
+ 39 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 4.5
Better work-life than 70% of Nursing Leadership listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,187 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes call
Summit BHC logo

About Summit BHC

Hospitals and Health Care
Franklin, Tennessee
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive benefit plan

Living in Kingsport

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$274k
Typical market rent
$1,309/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
86.4
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.