VP & Chief Nurse Officer, Atrium Health Cabarrus

Overview

Position Summary:

The Chief Nurse Officer is responsible for organizing, planning, directing and evaluating all nursing functions and other patient care areas (e.g., social services, emergency medicine, pharmacy, rehabilitation and respiratory care services).  Additionally, the Chief Nurse Officer directs and develops hospital wide patient care standards, policies and procedures that assure high quality patient care. 

Position Accountabilities:

1. Accountable for directing all operations of Patient Services at assigned facility/division 
2. Recommends and implements policies and procedures to improve efficiency and delivery of quality patient care. 
3. Plans, manages, coordinates and evaluates the clinical and administrative activities for the department of nursing and the administrative activities for other clinical and non-clinical areas.
4. Establishes a strong collaborative relationship with medical staff to achieve and encourage active participation from all staff members and create a working environment that will encourage retention of clinical employees. 
5. Ensures that a clear understanding of health care guidelines is recognized at all times once a patient is in the care of Advocate Health by a constant review and supervision of the medical practitioners in practice. 
6. Promotes a strategic vision for nursing services that is consistent with and supports the mission of Advocate Health. 
7. Encourages innovation of the staff for the betterment of the welfare of the patients and the organization as a whole.

AONE Nurse Executive Competencies

I. Communication and Relationship Building

A. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 

• Make oral presentations to diverse audiences on: 
  • Nursing 
  • Health care topics 
  • Organizational issues 
• Produce written materials for diverse audiences on: 
  • Nursing 
  • Health care topics 
  • Organizational issues 
• Facilitate group discussions 
• Demonstrate skill in interpersonal communication 

B. RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT 

• Build collaborative relationships 
• Exhibit effective conflict resolution skills 
• Create a trusting environment by: 
  • Following through on promises and concerns 
  • Establishing mechanisms to follow-up on commitments 
  • Balancing the concerns of individuals with organizational goals and objectives 
  • Engaging staff and others in decision-making 
  • Communicating in a way as to maintain credibility and relationships 

C. INFLUENCING BEHAVIORS 

• Assert views in non-threatening, non-judgmental ways 
• Create a shared vision 
• Facilitate consensus building 
• Inspire desired behaviors and manage undesired behaviors
• Achieve outcomes through engagement of stakeholders 
• Promote decisions that are patient-centered 
• Apply situational leadership skills 

D. DIVERSITY 

• Establish an environment that values diversity (e.g. age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, culture) 
• Establish cultural competency in the workforce 
• Incorporate cultural beliefs into care delivery 
• Provide an environment conducive to opinion sharing, exploration of ideas and achievement of outcomes 

E. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 

• Represent the organization to non-health care constituents within the community 
• Serve as a resource to community and business leaders regarding nursing and health care 
• Represent the community perspective in the decision-making process within the organization/system 
• Represent nursing to the media 
• Serve on community-based boards, advisory groups, and task forces 

F. MEDICAL/STAFF RELATIONSHIPS 

• Build credibility with physicians as a champion for patient care, quality and the professional practice of nursing 
• Confront and address inappropriate or disruptive behavior towards patients and staff 
• Represent nursing at medical executive committee and other department/medical staff committees
• Collaborate with medical staff leaders and other disciplines in determining needed patient care service lines 
• Collaborate with physicians and other disciplines to develop patient care protocols, policies and procedures 
• Collaborate to determine patient care equipment and facility needs
• Use medical staff mechanisms to address physician clinical performance issues 
• Address and model appropriate conflict resolution 
• Create opportunities for physicians and nurses to engage in professional dialogue 

G. ACADEMIC RELATIONSHIPS

• Determine current and future supply and demand for nurses to meet the care delivery needs 
• Identify educational needs of existing and potential nursing staff
• Collaborate with nursing programs to provide required resources 
• Collaborate with nursing programs in evaluating quality of graduating clinicians and develop mechanisms to enhance this quality 
• Serve on academic advisory councils 
• Collaborate in nursing research and translate evidence into practice 
• Collaborate to investigate care delivery models across the continuum 
• Create academic partnerships to ensure a qualified workforce for the future 

II. Knowledge of the Health Care Environment

A. CLINICAL PRACTICE KNOWLEDGE 

• Demonstrate knowledge of current nursing practice and the roles and functions of patient care team members
• Communication patient care standards as established by accreditation, regulatory and   quality agencies 
• Ensure compliance with the State Nurse Practice Act, State Board of Nursing regulations, state and federal regulatory agency standards, federal labor standards and policies of the organization 
• Adhere to professional association standards of nursing practice 
• Ensure that written organizational clinical policies and procedures are reviewed and updated in accordance with evidence-based practice 
• Integrate bioethical and legal dimensions into clinical and management decision-making
• Ensure protection of human subject rights and safety in clinical research 

B. DELIVERY MODELS / WORK DESIGN 

• Demonstrate current knowledge of patient care delivery systems across the continuum 
• Describe various delivery systems and age-appropriate patient care models and the advantages/disadvantages of each 
• Assess the effectiveness of delivery models 
• Develop new delivery models 
• Participate in the design of facilities 

C. HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS AND POLICY 

• Understand regulation and payment issues that affect an organization’s finances 
• Describe individual organization’s payer mix, CMI, and benchmark database
• Align care delivery models and staff performance with key safety and economic drivers (e.g., value-based purchasing, bundled payment)
• Take action when opportunities exist to adjust operations to respond effectively to environmental changes in economic elements
• Use knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations that affect the provision of patient care (e.g., tort reform, malpractice/negligence, reimbursement)
• Participate in legislative process on health care issues through such mechanisms as membership in professional organization and personal contact with officials
• Educate patient care team members on the legislative process, the regulatory process and methods for influencing both
• Interpret impact of legislation at the state and federal level on nursing and health care organizations

D. GOVERNANCE

• Use knowledge of the role of the governing body of the organization in the following areas:
• Fiduciary responsibilities
• Credentialing
• Performance management
• Represent patient care issues to the governing body
• Participate in strategic planning and quality initiatives with the governing body
• Interact with and educate the organization’s board members regarding health care and the value of nursing care
• Represent nursing at the organizations’ board meetings
• Represent other disciplines that the organization’s board meetings

E. EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE/OUTCOME MEASUREMENT AND RESEARCH

• Use data and other sources of evidence to inform decision making
• Use evidence for establishment of standards, practices, and patient care models in the organization
• Design feedback mechanisms by which to adapt practice based upon outcomes from current processes
• Design and interpret outcome measures
• Disseminate research findings to patient care team members
• Allocate nursing resources based on measurement of patient acuity/care needed
• Monitor and address nurse sensitive outcomes and satisfaction indicators

F. PATIENT SAFETY

• Support the development of an organization-wide patient safety program

G. PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS/ METRICS

• Articulate the organization’s performance improvement program and goals
• Use evidence-based metrics to align patient outcomes with the organization’s goals and objectives
• Apply high reliability concepts for the organization
• Establish quality metrics by
  • Identifying the problem/ process
  • Measuring success at improving specific areas of patient care
  • Analyzing the root causes or variation from quality standards
  • Improving the process with the evidence
  • Controlling solutions and sustaining success

H. RISK MANAGEMENT

• Identify areas of risk/liability
• Facilitate staff education on risk management and compliance issues
• Develop systems that result in prompt reporting of potential liability by staff at all levels
• Identify early warning predictability indications for errors
• Correct areas of potential liability
• Ensure compliance by staff with all required standards

III. Leadership

A. FOUNDATIONAL THINKING SKILLS

• Address ideas, beliefs, or viewpoints that should be given serious consideration
• Recognize one’s own method of decision making and role of beliefs, values, and inferences
• Apply critical analysis to organizational issues after a review of the evidence
• Maintain curiosity and an eagerness to explore new knowledge and ideas
• Promote nursing leadership as both a science and an art
• Demonstrate reflective practice and an understanding that all leadership begins from within
• Provide visionary thinking on issues that impact the health care organization

B. PERSONAL JOURNEY DISCIPLINES

• Learn from setbacks and failures as well as successes                      

C. SYSTEMS THINKING

• Use knowledge of classic and contemporary systems thinking in problem solving and decision making
• Provide visionary thinking on issues that impact the healthcare organization
• Recognize the contribution of mental models on behavior
• Promote systems thinking as an expectation of leaders and staff
• Consider the impact of nursing decisions on the healthcare organization as a whole
• Use resources from other paradigms

D. SUCCESSION PLANNING

• Develop a leadership succession plan
• Promote nursing leadership as a desirable specialty
• Mentor current and future nurse leaders
• Establish mechanisms that provide for early identification and mentoring of staff with leadership potential
• Develop a workforce analysis plan and implement strategies to ensure an adequate and qualified workforce

E. CHANGE MANAGEMENT

• Adapt leadership style to situation needs
• Use change theory to implement change
• Serve as a change leader

IV. Professionalism

A. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Hold self and others accountable for mutual professional expectations and outcomes
• Contribute to the advancement of the profession
• Participate in and contribute to professional organizations
• Demonstrate and promote leader and staff participation in professional organizations
• Promote leader and staff participation in lifelong learning and educational achievement
• Achieve and maintain professional certification for self
• Promote professional certification for staff
• Role model standards of professional practice (clinical, education, and leadership) for colleagues and constituents

B. FOUNDATIONAL THINKING SKILLS

• Coach others in developing their career plans
• Seek input and mentorship from others in career planning and development
• Develop a personal and professional career plan and measure progress
• Solicit feedback about personal strengths and weaknesses
• Act on feedback about personal strengths and weaknesses 

C. ETHICS 

• Uphold ethical principles and corporate compliance standards
• Hold self and staff accountable to comply with ethical standards of practice
• Discuss, resolve, and learn from ethical dilemmas

D. ADVOCACY

• Promote clinical perspective in organizational decisions
• Involve nurses and other staff in decisions that affect their practice
• Represent the perspective of patients and families
• Advocate for optimal health care in the community

V. Business Skills

A. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Develop and manage an annual operating budget and long-term capital expenditure plan
• Use business models for health care organizations and apply fundamental concepts of economics
• Interpret financial statements
• Manage financial resources
• Ensure the use of accurate charging mechanisms
• Educate patient care team members on financial implications of patient care decisions
• Participate in the negotiation and monitoring of contract compliance (e.g., physicians, service providers)

B. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure development of educational programs to foster workforce competencies and development goals
• Participate in workforce planning and employment decisions
• Use corrective discipline to mitigate workplace behavior problems
• Evaluate the results of employee satisfaction/quality of work environment surveys
• Support reward and recognition programs to enhance performance
• Formulate programs to enhance work-life balance
• Interpret and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory guidelines
• Provide education regarding components of collective bargaining
• Promote healthful work environments
• Address sexual harassment, workplace violence, verbal and physical abuse
• Implement ergonomically sound work environments to prevent worker injury and fatigue
• Develop and implement emergency preparedness plans
• Analyze market data in relation to supply and demand
• Contribute to the development of compensation programs
• Develop and evaluate recruitment onboarding, and retention strategies
• Develop and implement an outcome-based performance management program
• Develop and implement programs to reeducate the workforce for new roles

C. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

• Create the operational objectives, goals and specific strategies required to achieve the strategic outcome
• Conduct SWOT and Gap analyses
• Defend the business case for nursing
• Utilize the balanced scoreboard analysis to manage change
• Evaluate achievement of operational objectives and goals
• Identify marketing opportunities
• Develop marketing strategies in collaboration with marking experts
• Promote the image of nursing and the organization through effective media relations

D. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

• Use technology to support improvement of clinical and financial performance
• Collaborate to prioritize for the establishment of information technology resources
• Participate in evaluation of enabling technology in practice settings
• Use data management systems for decision making
• Identify technological trends, issues and new developments as they apply to patient care
• Demonstrate skills in assessing data integrity and quality
• Provide leadership for adoption and implementation of information systems

Qualifications:

Education/Certification:

• Graduate of school of nursing required
• Masters Degree in Nursing, Education or related field
• Currently licensed as a registered nurse in the state of North Carolina 
• Appropriate professional leadership certification required (within 2 years if not currently certified) or within 1 year of eligibility for professional certification.

Work Experience, Skills & Abilities:

• Minimum of 5 years of nursing management experience at a senior level 
• Specialty nursing experience preferred for roles with specialty oversight (e.g. behavioral health, long-term care, rehabilitation)
• Must be knowledgeable of current leadership, management and quality improvement concepts
• Ability to participate in developing and implementing organizational strategies to address opportunities to improve the delivery of patient / nursing care

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Must be able to operate all equipment essential in performing the job.
• Generally exposed to a normal office environment.
• Position requires some travel so will be exposed to weather and road hazards.
• Must be able to sit 50% of the workday and stand 40%.

Enterprise Leadership Imperatives:

Thinks Critically and Strategically

• Engages in rigorous problem solving definition, data collection, and analysis, then makes good decisions in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity.
• Recognizes important patterns in complex environments, distills the essence, and communicates through “powerful simplification.”
• Sees the big picture and has a long-term perspective, while balancing it against short-term realities.

Envisions and Enacts the Future

• Creates and communicates compelling visions of exciting, achievable futures.
• Mobilizes people and transforms organizations to realize the vision.
• Catalyzes innovation and builds supporting capabilities.
• Is a committed steward of the Atrium Health culture.

Connects and Collaborates Across Atrium Health

• Recognizes the critical importance of integration and collaboration in achieving high performance.
• Convenes and nurtures cross-system teams, and works effectively in the “white spaces.”
• Seeks win-win outcomes and puts the well-being of the patient and the overall organization first.
• Leads effectively across cultures.

Builds and Leads Inclusive, High-performing Leadership Teams

• Understands the value of diversity in teams and gets the best out of all people.
• Establishes trust and creates a culture of psychological safety to enable candid debate.
• Builds consensus; decides when necessary.
• Delivers outstanding results through others.

Understands and Shapes the External Environment

• Is deeply knowledgeable about the Atrium Health business model and the consumer, competitive, political and social environments in which the organization operates.
• Understands the importance of actively engaging with and shaping these environments.
• Identifies, assesses and builds relationships with key stakeholders.
• Mobilizes and directs supporting capabilities in public affairs, communications and government relations to achieve desired outcomes.

Builds Talent for and Across the System

• Demonstrated personal accountability for developing future generations of Atrium Health leaders who reflect the diversity of communities we serve.
• Engages actively with colleagues in assessing and developing executive talent, focusing on competencies and character.
• Invests time in coaching and mentoring high-potentials for success.
• Is a role model, embodying the best of Atrium Health’s culture.