Director of Nursing

Director of Nursing (DON) — CLI

Department: Ambulatory Surgery Center

Lead a clinical team. Support exceptional surgical care. Make a meaningful impact.

CLI is seeking a Director of Nursing to lead nursing services and daily clinical operations within our ophthalmic ambulatory surgery center. This role combines hands-on clinical leadership with responsibility for staff development, patient safety, quality improvement, and operational performance.

The Director of Nursing partners with physicians, anesthesia providers, and operational leadership to deliver safe, efficient, compassionate care throughout the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative experience.

What You’ll Do

• Direct daily nursing and clinical operations, ensuring appropriate staffing, efficient patient flow, and consistent standards of care.

• Lead, coach, and develop nursing and clinical support staff, fostering teamwork, accountability, and a positive workplace culture.

• Partner with Human Resources on recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations, employee relations, and corrective action.

• Coordinate staffing schedules and assignments based on surgical volume, patient needs, staff competencies, and budget expectations.

• Oversee staff orientation, competency assessments, continuing education, and required certifications.

• Maintain survey readiness and coordinate preparation for regulatory inspections, accreditation surveys, and internal audits.

• Implement and monitor clinical policies, procedures, and standards consistent with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements.

• Lead nursing participation in quality assurance and performance improvement activities, using clinical outcomes, incident trends, and patient feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Oversee adherence to infection prevention, medication management, controlled substance handling, sterile processing, and patient safety practices.

• Collaborate with physicians and anesthesia providers to resolve clinical concerns and support effective communication across the surgical team.

• Monitor clinical supplies, equipment readiness, and resource utilization in partnership with operational leadership.

• Support emergency preparedness, staff education, and response procedures.

• Provide direct patient care as needed within licensure, demonstrated competencies, and facility policy.

• Protect patient confidentiality and promote accurate, timely clinical documentation.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

• Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse license in the state of practice.

• Progressive nursing experience, including prior supervisory or management responsibility.

• Experience in an ambulatory surgery center or perioperative setting; ophthalmology experience preferred.

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification; Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) preferred.

• Knowledge of surgical nursing practices, infection prevention, quality improvement, and regulatory and accreditation standards.

• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to collaborate with physicians and multidisciplinary teams while balancing patient care, employee needs, and operational priorities.

Work Environment

This position works on-site in an active surgical setting and includes both administrative responsibilities and hands-on clinical support. The role requires standing, walking, and assisting with patient care and equipment as needed.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Join CLI and help lead a team committed to safe care, strong collaboration, and an exceptional patient experience.