Nursing Manager, Patient Care-Step Down Unit

Northwestern Medicine; Palos Park (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Medicine seeks a Manager, Patient Care to provide clinical and administrative leadership across nursing units in Illinois. You will link nursing staff with other health care disciplines, advance patient care standards, and drive service excellence within NM.

Responsibilities include budget oversight, staff development, quality improvement initiatives, and fostering a collaborative environment to meet organizational goals.

Qualifications

• Must have BSN and an active RN license.
• Certification in a relevant specialty within one year of hire.
• BLS certification required.
• 2–4 years of relevant nursing leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate activities between defined areas and provide clinical and administrative leadership.
• Set clear expectations for quality, service improvement, and budget targets.
• Mentor staff, conduct performance feedback, and address gaps with action plans.
• Promote RN–MD collaboration and interdepartmental teamwork across NM.
• Monitor staffing, budgeting, and resource utilization to meet HPPD goals.
• Lead implementation of NM strategic plans and governance initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Quality improvement

Budgeting

Communication

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

RN license

Specialty Certification within 1 year

Job description

Description

The Manager, Patient Care position reflects the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Medicine, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Nurse Managers coordinate activities between defined areas and provide clinical and administrative leadership and expertise. They facilitate an atmosphere of interactive management and the development of collegial relationships among nursing personnel and others. They serve as a link between nursing personnel and other health care disciplines throughout the organization.

Nurse Managers have major responsibility for the implementation of the vision, mission, plans and standards of the organization and nursing services within their defined areas of responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Helps all employees make the connection between NM values, their daily work and patient and customer satisfaction. Holds staff accountable for modeling service standards and behaviors.


• Sets clear expectations for continuous quality and service improvement. Uses internal and external benchmark data and best practices to establish specific targets, timelines and metrics for improvement projects.


• Encourages those who identify problems, potential solutions and opportunities for improvement. Supports and empowers staff in piloting new ideas and solutions.


• Creates an environment of partnership, collaboration, seamless quality and service enhancement across teams, departments and divisions of the organization.


• Stays informed of current and emerging issues and trends for areas of accountability, NM organization and healthcare industry. Communicates and educates staff on requirements, changes, advances, opportunities, directions and projections for the future.


• Thinks and acts in ways that support NM strategy, vision and plans. Identifies opportunities for new business growth and development, expansion of current services, etc.


• Practices fiscal accountability. Encourages staff and team accountability by involving them in budget preparation, identifying ideas for increasing efficiency, cost savings, developing and growing the business and existing services.


• Measures and monitors budget and business development plans; provides ongoing updates to staff.


• Achieves or exceeds budget and business growth and profitability targets.


• Makes effective hiring decisions; completes the orientation process for new employees.


• Identifies staff's individual skills and interests; provides timely, positive, constructive feedback; addresses performance gaps as they occur with clear action plans and timelines for improvement.


• Supports ongoing learning and skill development for self and staff; provides coaching and mentoring; assigns stretch goals, cross-training and other opportunities for career development within NM.


• Involves staff in planning and decision-making as appropriate. Holds staff accountable for follow-through and results.


• Facilitates change readiness and agility among staff and teams.


• Uses timely, effective communication methods to update staff on departmental and organizational priorities and progress.


• Creates a culture of respectful communication by listening, demonstrating approachability, practicing meeting, voicemail and e-mail courtesy.


• Asks for staff input; encourages diverse perspectives and solutions, drawing from staff, peers, physicians, patients and other stakeholders.


• Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively across departments and sectors of organization; within all levels of management; with patients, visitors, other customers, etc.


• Acknowledges and celebrates individual and team contributions.


• Maintains clinical knowledge and expertise to adequately supervise and assess staff competence.


• In support of achieving patient care excellence, directs and supervises patient care within the department.


• Anticipates impending emergent situations and intervenes effectively.


• Demonstrates practice planning abilities to address and prevent potential problems.


• Refers to unit-based shared governance councils for assessment and identification of quality improvement opportunities and action.


• Coordinates the scheduling and staffing of the department including the authorization and approval of vacation schedules, education time, schedule changes and use of overtime. Creatively manages staffing resources to maintain HPPD.


• Facilitates RN-MD collaboration.


• Monitors use of hand-off reports/expectations and provides coaching/mentoring, as appropriate.


• Effectively mediates disputes among employees and offers viable solutions to problems.


• Participates in coordinating new staff orientation in partnership with Professional Development.


• Implements a retention plan that maintains low unit turnover.


• Utilizes nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning 7 evaluating) to support the practice of nursing and the delivery of care.


• Performance Appraisal: Evaluates her/his own performance based on professional practice standards, relevant statutes and regulations, and organizational criteria.


• Education: Acquires and maintains current knowledge in administrative practice.


• Collegiality: Fosters a professional environment.


• Ethics: Decisions and actions are based on ethical principles.


• Collaboration: Collaborates with nursing staff at all levels, interdisciplinary teams, executive officers and other stakeholders.


• Research: Supports research and integrates it into the delivery of nursing care and nursing administration.


• Resource Utilization: Evaluates and administers the resources of organized nursing services within their areas of responsibility.


• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• 2-4 years of relevant experience


• Graduate from an accredited school of Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing.


• Specialty Certification within one year of hire


• Cert BLS


• Licensed RN

Preferred

• Masters Degree or current enrollment

Equal Opportunity

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events.

NorthwesternMedicine Career Page

https://jobs.nm.org/benefits

Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.

If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed:Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.