Assistant Director Nursing PICU

Children's of Alabama; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Children's of Alabama in Birmingham seeks an experienced nursing leader to serve as an assistant to the Department Director, overseeing PICU clinical operations and outcomes. You will plan, coordinate, and manage care processes to ensure evidence-based practices are implemented at the point of care.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, supervise staff performance, participate in education and coaching, and share 24-hour accountability for unit operations in a fast-paced pediatric critical care

Qualifications

• Active RN license in Alabama or NLC multi-state.
• BSN required; MSN preferred.
• Basic Life Support certification.

Responsibilities

• Assist Department Director in planning and coordinating PICU clinical operations.
• Promote evidence-based practice and research activities.
• Design care processes and evaluate outcomes.
• Lead nursing and multidisciplinary teams to implement family-centered care.
• Supervise and evaluate staff performance; participate in staff development.

Skills

RN - Alabama

Leadership

Evidence-based practice

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Master of Science in Nursing

Basic Life Support

Job description

In Critical Care PICU at Main Campus Quarterback Tower

Work schedule will be Full-time on the Day Shift, Operational leadership of PICU.

Summary

Serves as an assistant to the Department Director in the over site of clinical operations and outcomes. Responsible for the planning, coordinating, directing and management of clinical operations. Participates and promotes evidence- based practice and/or research activities. Designs and evaluates care processes to ensure evidenced-based practices are implemented and maintained at the point of care. Utilizes data to design individually tailored interventions, initiate collaborative plans of care and perform evaluation of outcomes. Leads nursing and multidisciplinary groups in implementing innovative patient and family centered care programs. Assists with the supervision and evaluation of staff's work performance in accordance with established criteria based standards of performance. Assist with selection, development, coaching and discipline of unit personnel. Shares 24- hour accountability for clinical operations and outcomes with Department Director.

Credentials with Equivalent Qualifications

Essential:

• Registered Nurse AL Single State or any of the following equivalent qualifications below:
  • Registered Nurse AL NLC Multi State
  • Registered Nurse Non-AL NLC Multi State
• Basic Life Support

Education with Equivalent Qualifications

Essential:

• Bachelor of Science Nursing in Nursing

Nonessential:

• Masters of Science Nursing in Nursing

Experience with Equivalent Qualifications

Essential:

• 3 Years job experience as Staff Level with specialization in the field of Nursing Acute

Unit Overview

In the spring of 2026, the Special Care Unit (SCU), our critical care step-down and the Pediatric ICU (PICU) will combine to create a new 50-bed, acuity-adjusted PICU. This new unit will be located on the 12th floor of the Russell Building, allowing Children's to better meet the needs of our highest-acuity patients in Alabama. The PICU has 24/7 Pediatric Intensivist coverage, as well as Pediatric ICU Fellows and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Pediatric Hospital Medicine coverage as well as General Surgery will also be part of the PICU team. The collaboration between the disciplines is excellent. Patient-Family Centered Rounds are done 2-3 times daily with participation from family and staff. There is a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, chaplains, respiratory therapists, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and child life therapists who work together to meet the needs of our patients. The PICU patient population is very diverse. About 60 % of the patients are medical patients and about 40% are surgical. Of the surgical patients, half are trauma patients. We care for children with a wide variety of diagnoses including but not limited to: respiratory failure, renal failure, shock, status epilepticus, status asthmatics, GI bleeding, hematology/oncology diagnoses, and burns. We also care for patients requiring ECMO and CRRT, and post-Liver or Kidney transplant patients. We care for patients ranging from days old up to 21+ (chronic patients still under the care of their pediatric subspecialists). The average patient length of stay is between 3-4 days. Our normal nurse to patient ratio is 1:1 or 1:2 and sometimes in extremely critical patients 2:1 (such as ECMO, or patients requiring massive transfusion resuscitation). Our Charge Nurses do not take a patient load and manage the day-to-day operation and patient flow in the unit. Depending on census/acuity there will be 1 to 2 Resource PICU nurses who float around the unit assisting with procedures, admissions, transfers, and codes. PICU physicians and nurses also respond to Codes throughout the hospital, and act as back-ups for the rapid response team. Our new Pediatric ICU offers a welcoming environment for new staff, so they can learn and develop new skills. Our multidisciplinary approach, commitment to excellence, focus on teamwork and dedication to patient care helps us ensure we provide the very best for our patients and families.

Schedule: Operational leadership of PICU, Day Shift, Monday-Friday Standard Days