Chief Nursing Officer

THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the Ministry Chief Executive, and matrixed to the Regional Chief Nursing Officer, the CNO has overall responsibility for the operation and ongoing development of the Professional Nursing Practice.

The Chief Nursing Officer directs nursing services by approval and implementation of nursing policies, procedures, standards and staffing plans.

S/he assures that nursing services are integrated into the ministry’s performance improvement plan in support of the PSJH nursing strategic plan.

As a member of the hospital executive team, s/he assumes an active leadership role interdepartmentally, with the medical staff, during Community Ministry Board activities, and as a key representative to the community.

With a constant focus on patient-centeredness, quality, staff and patient safety, the CNO creates and maintains standards and systems for care delivery at their ministry.

These systems of care delivery promote evidence-based practice and are designed to support the management of productivity targets, patient acuity, and appropriate planning for and use of available resources.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Communication & Relationship Building

• Create a work environment that facilitates and encourages involvement of the staff in critical thinking to enact professional nursing practice.
• Build collaborative relationships
• Uses shared decision making to accomplish the organization’s primary goal which is service to patients, families and the community
• Promotes implementation of processes and resources that deliver data and information to empower staff to participate meaningfully in clinical decision making
• Establish an environment that values diversity in which care is delivered in a manner sensitive to social and cultural diversity
• Provides and maintains effective communications with medical staff, the community, and all levels of supervision and staff.

  Rounds for improved visibility and to meet specific goals such as safety.

• Represent the organization to non-health care constituents within the community
• Represent nursing to the media
• Serve on community-based boards, advisory groups, and task forces
• Represent nursing at medical executive committee and other departmental / medical staff committees
• Collaborate with nursing programs to provide required resources
• Serve on academic advisory councils
• Collaborate in nursing research and translate evidence into practice
• Create academic partnerships to ensure a qualified workforce for the future

Knowledge of the Health Care Environment

• Communicate 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
• Assess the effectiveness of delivery models
• Develop new delivery models
• Participate in the design of facilities
• 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
• 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 organization’s board meetings
• Represent other disciplines at the organization’s board meetings
• Use evidence for establishment of standards, practices and patient care models in the organization (nurse sensitive outcomes)
• 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
• Support the development of an organization-wide patient safety program
• Use knowledge of patient safety science (e.g., human factors, complex adaptive systems, LEAN and Six Sigma, high reliability organization)
• Monitor clinical activities to identify both expected and unexpected risks
• Support a Just Culture (non-punitive) reporting environment, supporting a reward system for identifying unsafe practices
• Support safety surveys, responding and acting on safety recommendations

Leadership

• Address ideas, beliefs or viewpoints that should be given serious consideration
• Recognize one’s own method of decision making and the 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
• 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
• 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

Professionalism

• 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
• Promote professional certification for staff
• Role model standards of professional practice (clinical, educational and leadership) for colleagues and constituents
• Coach others in developing their own 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
• 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
• 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

Business Skills

• 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)
• 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 ( promote a culture of safety, address sexual harassment, workplace violence)
• 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 scorecard analysis to manage change
• Evaluate achievement of operational objectives and goals
• Identify marketing opportunities
• Develop marketing strategies in
• collaboration with marketing experts
• Promote the image of nursing and the organization through effective media relations
• 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
• Provide leadership for the adoption and implementation of information systems
• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

Qualifications:

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Academic degree in nursing required (Bachelor’s or Master’s degree)
• Master degree in Nursing or related field required (Health Administration, Business, Public Health, or management).
• Earned Doctorate degree in Nursing is preferred
• A minimum of five years of nursing executive acute care experience and a minimum of five years of progressive management experience are required.
• The applicant will demonstrate progressive leadership and expertise in communication across disciplines, participative change management, managing group dynamics and managing performance improvement processes.
• Active and current AK registered nurse license
• Specialty certification (CENP, or NEA-BC)
• In depth current working knowledge of clinical practice and processes
• Knowledge of organizational behavior; management systems and processes; nursing practice standards; clinical practice guidelines; regulations and ethics; healthcare economics; health and public safety; trends in business practice; consumer health care issues; healthcare evaluation and outcome measures; and fiscal management and finance.
• Mobility to travel throughout the ministry and community.
• Able to work varying hours and handle difficult situations when necessary.
• Ability to clearly articulate the PSJH mission and vision
• Demonstrated servant / mission driven leadership
• Working knowledge of labor contracts and application to practice
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to conceptualize and implement new service delivery models.
• Ability to serve as a change agent supporting integration concepts.
• Ability to represent PSJH professionally and build collaborative relationships with various agencies or organizations.
• Ability to analyze data, regulations, and practices to develop progressive and compliant programs including TJC, Title 22, etc.
• Ability to effectively work in a multi-entity organization including hospitals and satellite facilities
• Demonstrated system thinking
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex matrixed environment
• Ability to articulate the Magnet® standards and expectations.

Our Mission

As expressions of God’s healing love, witnessed through the ministry of Jesus, we are steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

About Us

Providence is a comprehensive not-for-profit network of hospitals, care centers, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health care and services continuing a more than 100-year tradition of serving the poor and vulnerable.

Providence is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Providence does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, veteran, military status, religion, age, creed, national origin, sexual identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law.