Chief Nursing Officer

Job Summary:

The Chief Nursing and Clinical Services Officer (CNO) provides leadership and management expertise needed to ensure quality patient care and customer service is provided to patients, families, and staff. The individual also provides the supervision and control of resources by determining the composition, assignment, direction, and size of the workforce employed in all coverage areas (see organizational chart). The CNO is responsible for recruiting and retaining a professional staff; maintaining an awareness of changing practices, procedures, and trends in patient care; and promoting a positive professional image of patient services to patients, physicians, and the community.

This position requires the full understanding of, alignment with, and active participation in the fulfillment of the mission, vision, and values of UMMC. This position requires the ability to communicate effectively, demonstrate good interpersonal relationships, and display behavior that is consistently professional, caring, and courteous.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for oversight of administrative, leadership, and management of staff. Serves as administrative representative on various committees throughout the organization. Provides periodic updates and interacts with the board.
• Serves as a role model for exemplary customer service. Develops and implements effective communication in order to build a collaborative and dynamic work force that can readily adapt to change. Creates a "team" for addressing issues across departments by presenting an open, responsible and accountable model for nursing.
• Regularly meets with employees to improve communication and build relationships. Continually communicates to staff the importance of patient satisfaction, quality of care, and sound financial performance. Champions successes and priorities for improving performance in meeting and exceeding patient and customer expectations. Works with UMMC system leadership, clinical leadership, entity leadership, affiliates and suppliers in developing programs and services to anticipate future customer needs. Builds customer loyalty and generate profitable growth. Drives operational integration by ensuring alignment of communication to all affected parties. Works closely with medical leadership at UMMC in an open collaborative atmosphere.
• Personally spends time with patients, medical staff, community physicians, referring MD's and volunteers to understand their respective needs and expectations. Builds relationships to gauge patient/customer satisfaction through comprehensive and continuous measurement of customer satisfaction for all key customer groups. Builds productive business partnerships and relationships with the community. Participates in community activities as appropriate. Identifies and participates in development opportunities as appropriate. Serves as appropriate on local, state, and national committees.
• Identifies and articulates the vision and direction for nursing and collaborates on the implementation of strategies to achieve them. Promotes continuity, consistency and standardization, to the extent possible, of nursing care across the organization. Creates an effective communication plan to promote front line participation and movement toward shared governance. Collaborates with the system CNEO to plan for the overall professional development of nursing service personnel.
• Demonstrates an ongoing ability to serve as an effective administrative team member with the administrative organization. Provides overall leadership of clinical nursing for assigned area. Evaluates methods for flexing (right-sizing) staff related to patient acuity. Implements a care coordination model that decreases denials and decreases length of stay. Responsible for the processes in the ED to promote patient throughput.
• Creates a work environment that is aligned with UMMC values. Responsible for recruitment and retention. Selects staff who demonstrate both professional competence and outstanding customer service. Develops a succession plan or management "bench" by identifying and developing "rising talent". Promotes additional education and credentialing of all staff. Serves as a resource and mentor to developing leaders within the organization.
• Ensures easy accessibility to staff members. Establishes and ensures effective and ongoing communications. Develops succession plan annually and utilizes it in decision making.
• Provides vision for nursing leadership to design safe, efficient and effective care models that stay within the productivity benchmarks unless acceptable rationale can be provided. Assists in the planning, preparing and prioritizing of capital budgets for areas of responsibility; monitors compliance, and plans for remediation with the team' investigates variances and plans for remediation as necessary. Collaborates with CEO, CFO, and nursing leaders to develop tools to assist in the effective financial management of assigned areas.
• Clearly defines work expectations. Recognizes and regards individuals for a job well done. Addresses performance issues immediately and directly. Conducts performance appraisals annually.
• The duties listed are general in nature and are examples of the duties and responsibilities performed and are not meant to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Management retains the right to add or change duties at any time.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

Requires occasional travelling to offsite locations, occasional work produced subject to precise measures of quantity and quality, occasional bending, occasional lifting and carrying up to 10 pounds, occasional climbing, occasional crawling, occasional crouching/stooping, occasional driving, occasional kneeling, occasional pushing/pulling, occasional reaching, frequent sitting, occasional standing, occasional twisting, and frequent walking. (occasional-up to 20%, frequent-from 21% to 50%, constant-51% or more)

Requirements

Education and Experience: Master's degree in a related field preferred. Bachelor's degree in Nursing required and five (5) years of experience in hospital nursing as a nurse manager or clinical director in a community hospital or AMC, including progressive administrative experience and increasing responsibility.

Certifications, Licenses or Registration Required: RN license; Mississippi RN license within the applicable time frame.