RN Clinical Nurse IV - Neonatal Intensive Care

UNC Health Care; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 52,527 - 80,231; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to $20,000 commitment incentive

Up to $25,000 tuition loan forgiveness

Relocation assistance up to $10,000

Employee referral program

Job summary

A healthcare system in North Carolina is seeking a Clinical Nurse IV / NICU Team Leader. This full-time position involves a blend of advanced clinical practice and leadership in a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Candidates should have strong clinical judgment, effective communication skills, and a passion for compassionate, family-centered care. Expect to provide high-quality care while mentoring nurses and leading unit initiatives. This role offers competitive compensation and relocation assistance, along with opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of NICU experience preferred.
• NC RN Licensure required.
• Professional certification relevant to the practice area is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, evidence-based care to critically ill neonates.
• Serve as Charge Nurse, coordinating daily operations.
• Precept and mentor new nurses.

Skills

Strong clinical judgment

Effective communication

Critical thinking

Compassionate care

Education

Bachelor's degree (BSN)

Graduate of Accredited Nursing Program

Job description

Description

*This position qualifies for our UNC Rex Incentive Program, which includes up to $20,000 commitment incentive or up to $25,000 tuition loan forgiveness. In addition, this position is also eligible for up to $10,000 in relocation assistance (based on location) and our employee referral program.

Job Title: Clinical Nurse IV / NICU Team Leader (RN)

Location: UNC Rex Health - Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Status: Full-Time (Night Shift)

Why Join UNC Rex NICU?

At UNC Rex Health, our Level IV NICU provides specialized, family-centered care to critically ill and medically fragile newborns. With a 21-bed unit caring for approximately 450-500 infants annually, we combine advanced technology with expert multidisciplinary teams to deliver the highest-quality neonatal care.

As a Clinical Nurse IV / Team Leader, you will take on a hybrid leadership role, blending expert bedside care with administrative and unit leadership responsibilities. This position is ideal for NICU nurses who want to grow in leadership while continuing to provide direct patient care.

Role Overview

• Time Allocation: ~70% Clinical / ~30% Administrative
• Serve as both an advanced bedside clinician and a unit leader
• Influence nursing practice, team culture, and outcomes for newborns and families

Clinical Responsibilities (~70%)

• Provide high-quality, evidence-based care to critically ill neonates
• Serve as Charge Nurse, coordinating daily operations, patient flow, and staffing needs
• Precept, mentor, and support skill development and competency of new nurses
• Act as a clinical resource at the bedside, promoting critical thinking and best practices
• Collaborate with neonatologists, respiratory therapists, lactation consultants, and other interdisciplinary partners
• Facilitate rapid decision‑making based on patient acuity and family‑centered care needs

Administrative Responsibilities (~30%)

• Participate in shared governance councils and hospital/unit committees
• Lead or support quality improvement (QI) and performance improvement initiatives
• Assist with unit‑based education, competency validation, and ongoing staff training
• Conduct staff check‑ins, coaching, mentorship, and support professional development
• Perform patient‑family experience rounding to promote service excellence
• Partner with leadership on staffing, retention, and team culture‑building efforts

Who We're Looking For

We are seeking a NICU nurse who demonstrates:

• Strong clinical judgment and critical thinking skills
• Compassionate, family‑centered care philosophy
• Effective communication and collaboration with interdisciplinary teams
• Commitment to mentorship, professional development, and evidence‑based practice

Preferred Qualifications

• 2-5 years of NICU experience (Level III or Level IV preferred)
• Previous leadership experience (charge nurse, preceptor, or committee involvement)
• Dedication to continuous improvement and fostering a positive team culture
• Professional certification relevant to the practice area and on the ANCC Magnet approved list is required

What You'll Love About Working Here

• Blend advanced clinical practice with leadership and mentorship opportunities
• Influence unit culture, patient outcomes, and professional nursing practice
• Work in a highly specialized, high‑acuity Level IV NICU
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team dedicated to excellence in neonatal care
• Make a meaningful impact on the lives of critically ill newborns and their families

This role offers the perfect opportunity to continue providing expert bedside care while shaping the growth and development of your NICU team.

Make a life-changing impact on the tiniest patients and their families. Apply today to join the UNC REX Level IV NICU Team!

Become part of an inclusive organization with over 40,000 teammates, whose mission is to improve the health and well‑being of the unique communities we serve.

Summary

Serves as nursing Team Leader. Provides education, training, and oversight to assigned nursing staff.

Responsibilities

• EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - Coordinates, designs and implements educational programs to meet identified learning needs of staff, patients and families. Promotes and ensures staff participation in continuing education, orientation, competency, in‑service and staff development offerings. Participates in development and implementation of competency initiatives. Serves as an area of specialty consultant in the design of educational programs. Participates in development of and provides clinical expertise for patient education materials. Promotes professional growth of self and staff. Promotes a conducive environment for learning and provides educational experiences for students.
• EVALUATION - Evaluates patient progress and revises plan accordingly. Maintains accountability for carrying out components of the plan. Works with manager to ensure care on unit is accordance with policies and procedures.
• IMPLEMENTATION - Promotes an environment that values diversity, open communication, teamwork and exceptional service. Ensures that appropriate care and services are available to patients, clients and families for assigned shift. Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration in patient/client care planning to achieve desired patient outcomes. Coordinates care with interdisciplinary team members. Demonstrates and role‑models clinical expertise in specified patient population and shares expertise with other staff. Promotes and ensures the use of the nursing process to provide quality patient care. Assesses and anticipates patient and family learning needs and organizes resources to ensure that they are met. Performs bedside point‑of‑care testing as required for patient care plan.
• LEADERSHIP - Creates and promotes an environment conducive to recruiting and retaining staff. Provides feedback to Manager/Supervisor and Director to assist in hiring, promoting, transferring and terminating staff. Assists Nurse Manager by providing assigned staff with performance feedback and opportunity to set professional goals. Models and promotes behaviors that effectively give continual feedback to staff and colleagues. Integrates best practice standards regarding retention of staff in all aspects of practice.
• ASSESSMENT - Synthesizes data from complex situations to determine priorities for care. Includes appropriate physical, psychosocial and educational needs. Synthesizes assessment data into meaningful whole prior to communication with others. Assesses and anticipates discharge needs of individual patients and families. Develops relationships with families that promote their ability to advocate for the patient and their own needs. Works with manager to demonstrate specialization needs to serve the patient population.
• PLANNING - Establishes and promotes standards of excellence for areas of responsibility and ensures consistent implementation by staff. Provides input about trends related to program development, space needs and fiscal realities. Ensures appropriate and adequate clinical staffing and skill mix to meet patient care needs on own shift and upcoming shift. Effectively uses clinical and financial information to assist Nurse Manager to establish and meet budgetary goals. Collaborates with Nurse Manager to implement strategies to increase revenue and cost‑effectively manage personnel, supply and equipment resources. Evaluates the impact of strategic fiscal changes on quality outcomes. Assists Nurse Manager to ensure that internal and external regulatory standards are met or exceeded.
• RESEARCH AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT - Collaborates with Nurse Manager to evaluate research that is applicable to practice and promotes changes in standards of care as appropriate. Guides research development and implementation. Utilizes resources in asking research questions and applying appropriate research methods. Shares knowledge with colleagues through publication, presentations or other means. Develops, implements and evaluates new and creative approaches to meeting goals. Leads, participates and promotes performance improvement initiatives that focus on identified patient safety or quality of care opportunities.

Other Information

Other information:

• Education Requirements: Graduate of Accredited Nursing Program. Bachelor's degree (BSN) required.
• Licensure/Certification Requirements: Must have NC RN Licensure and BCLS. Professional certification relevant to the practice area and on the ANCC Magnet approved list within the probationary period of employment.
• Professional Experience Requirements: Minimum of one year experience working as a licensed RN.
• Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements: Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret clinical information and technical procedures. Ability to document clinical information. Ability to effectively communicate information and respond to questions from patients, physicians, family members, and other Rex staff. Mathematical Skills: Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations. Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions.

Job Details

• Legal Employer: NCHEALTH
• Entity: UNC REX Healthcare
• Organization Unit: Rex NICU
• Work Type: Full Time
• Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00
• Salary Range: $38.13 - $58.24 per hour (Hiring Range)
• Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity
• Work Assignment Type: Onsite
• Work Schedule: Night Job
• Location of Job: US:NC:Raleigh
• Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: No
• This position is employed by NC Health (Rex Healthcare, Inc., d/b/a NC Health), a private, fully‑owned subsidiary of UNC Health Care System. This is not a State employed position.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran or political affiliation.

UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email [e-mail] if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.