Lead Nurse

Green Key Resources; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Green Key Resources in Raleigh, NC seeks an experienced Nursing Team Leader to provide clinical oversight and leadership on a 30-bed orthopedic medical-surgical unit. The role collaborates with physicians, therapists, case managers, and pharmacists to promote excellent patient outcomes.

The position emphasizes shift leadership, staff development, regulatory compliance, and quality improvement, with responsibilities for staffing, performance feedback, and implementing education initiatives to

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited nursing program.
• BSN required.
• Active RN license.
• BCLS certification required.
• ANCC Magnet-approved certification within probationary employment period.
• Minimum of one year of clinical RN experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as shift Team Leader with daily clinical oversight.
• Model best practices and provide ongoing performance feedback.
• Coordinate education, orientation, and competency validations for staff, students, patients, and families.
• Serve as a clinical specialty consultant for unit-based learning, in-services, and educational materials.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary care planning and bedside care delivery.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill mix for shifts; guide patient care priorities.
• Collaborate with management on budget, supplies, and regulatory standards.
• Lead performance improvement initiatives to enhance quality and patient safety.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical communication

Analytical thinking

Math skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing (BSN)

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Nursing Team Leader to provide clinical oversight, staff education, and leadership within a nationally recognized 30-bed Acute Care Orthopedic Medical-Surgical unit. This unit delivers post-surgical care to patients recovering from complex orthopedic procedures, including joint replacements (knee, hip, ankle, shoulder), total joint revisions, spinal surgeries, fracture repairs, and wound management.

Operating within a Joint Commission-certified Joint Replacement Program environment, the Nursing Team Leader works alongside an interdisciplinary team of physicians, physician assistants, physical/occupational therapists, case managers, and pharmacists to promote exceptional patient outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Staff Oversight:
• Serves as the shift Team Leader, providing daily oversight, guidance, and clinical expertise to assigned nursing staff.
• Models best practices, provides ongoing performance feedback, and assists management with hiring, goal-setting, retention strategies, and performance evaluations.
• Promotes an environment prioritizing diversity, open communication, teamwork, and high-quality service.
• Education & Professional Development:
• Coordinates, designs, and implements educational initiatives, orientation programs, and competency validations for nursing staff, students, patients, and families.
• Serves as a clinical specialty consultant for unit-based learning, in-services, and educational materials.
• Clinical Care & Implementation:
• Role-models clinical expertise in the orthopedic med-surg population and facilitates interdisciplinary care planning.
• Ensures appropriate clinical care delivery, performs bedside point-of‑care testing as required, and anticipates patient/family discharge and learning needs.
• Assessment & Evaluation:
• Synthesizes complex clinical assessment data to set care priorities, evaluate patient progress, and revise care plans accordingly.
• Acts as a patient and family advocate, maintaining high standards of care aligned with facility policies and procedures.
• Planning & Operational Efficiency:
• Ensures adequate staffing levels and appropriate skill mix for assigned and upcoming shifts.
• Collaborates with management to meet budgetary goals, manage supplies and equipment efficiently, and maintain regulatory standards.
• Research & Quality Improvement:
• Leads and supports performance improvement initiatives focused on quality of care and patient safety.
• Integrates research-based best practice standards into clinical workflows and shares knowledge through presentations or internal publications.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Education: Graduate of an accredited nursing program. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
• Licensure: Active Registered Nurse (RN) License.
• Certifications:
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) required.
• Professional certification relevant to the practice area (on the ANCC Magnet‑approved list) required within the probationary employment period.
• Experience: Minimum of one (1) year of clinical experience as a licensed RN.

Core Competencies & Skills

• Clinical & Communication Skills: Ability to analyze clinical data, maintain accurate documentation, and effectively communicate with patients, families, physicians, and multidisciplinary staff.
• Analytical & Critical Thinking: Strong reasoning skills to define complex clinical problems, establish facts, interpret technical instructions, and draw valid conclusions.
• Basic Practical Math: Competency in applying concepts such as ratios, percentages, fractions, and proportions to clinical situations.