Surgical Nurse Manager

St. Vincent Health; Leadville (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Vincent Health in Leadville, Colorado seeks a Surgical Nurse Manager to provide clinical and operational leadership for the Surgery Department and its perioperative services.

The role oversees day-to-day operations, staffing, scheduling, regulatory readiness, quality improvement, and collaboration with surgeons, anesthesia, and hospital departments, while maintaining an active RN role in circulating, pre-, intra-, and post-operative care.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited school of professional nursing.
• Associate Degree in Nursing required; BSN preferred.
• ACLS certification required or obtained within timeframe.
• BLS certification required.

Responsibilities

• Provides overall leadership and day-to-day management of the Surgery Department and perioperative services.
• Manages department staffing and scheduling to support surgical volume and patient safety.
• Coordinates with surgeons, anesthesia providers, nursing staff and hospital departments to ensure smooth case flow.
• Maintains regulatory readiness and champions quality improvement initiatives.
• Recruits, trains, and evaluates department staff in collaboration with HR and nursing leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Staffing management

Perioperative nursing

Patient safety

Communication

Education

Associate Degree in Nursing

BSN

Tools

EMR systems

Microsoft Outlook

MS Word

Job description

The Surgical Nurse Manager provides clinical and operational leadership for the Surgery Department and is accountable for safe, efficient, high-quality perioperative services. This position manages day-to-day surgical operations, staffing, scheduling, employee performance, regulatory readiness, quality improvement, supplies and equipment, and coordination with surgeons, anesthesia, and hospital departments. The Surgical Nurse Manager maintains an active clinical role and assists with surgical and procedural care as needed, including circulating, pre-operative and post-operative support, and other duties within RN scope of practice and demonstrated competency

• Provides overall leadership and day-to-day management of the Surgery Department and perioperative services assigned to the department.
• Maintains responsibility for safe, effective, patient-centered surgical nursing care and promotes consistent adherence to established standards of practice.
• Manages department staffing and scheduling to support surgical volume, patient acuity, provider schedules, employee competencies, and safe coverage.
• Provides direct patient care and assists with surgical and other procedures as operational needs require and within RN scope of practice, training, and demonstrated competency.
• Functions in the circulating nurse role and supports pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative patient care as qualified and needed.
• Coordinates daily surgical activities with surgeons, anesthesia providers, nursing staff, surgical technologists, sterile processing, Patient Access, and other hospital departments.
• Works with providers and staff to ensure appropriate case preparation, equipment, instrumentation, supplies, preference cards, and patient documentation are available for scheduled procedures.
• Oversees safe medication practices, surgical counts, specimen handling, positioning, skin preparation, time-outs, infection prevention practices, and other perioperative safety processes.
• Monitors surgical schedules, room utilization, case flow, turnover times, cancellations, delays, and operational barriers; implements improvements when appropriate.
• Provides leadership during urgent or unexpected situations and assists the team in responding to changes in patient condition, staffing, equipment, or procedural needs.
• Recruits, interviews, orients, trains, supervises, coaches, and evaluates Surgery Department employees in collaboration with Human Resources and nursing leadership.
• Completes employee evaluations, rounding, competency reviews, corrective action, and performance improvement activities in accordance with hospital policy.
• Ensures staff maintain required licensure, certifications, competencies, annual education, and department-specific training.
• Develops, reviews, and maintains Surgery Department policies, procedures, workflows,competencies, and orientation materials.
• Maintains departmental readiness for regulatory surveys and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, hospital, infection prevention, life safety, and perioperative requirements.
• Participates in quality improvement and patient safety activities; monitors relevant surgical quality metrics, events, patient outcomes, and opportunities for improvement.
• Investigates and follows up on safety events, patient concerns, process breakdowns, and other department issues, escalating concerns to leadership as appropriate.
• Manages surgical supplies, implants, instrumentation, equipment, and inventory to support patient care while promoting appropriate cost control and standardization.
• Coordinates preventive maintenance, repairs, replacement planning, and capital equipment needs with appropriate departments and vendors.
• Participates in departmental budgeting, productivity monitoring, staffing plans, purchasing decisions, and financial stewardship.
• Builds effective working relationships with surgeons and procedural providers and supports onboarding of new surgeons, procedures, equipment, and service lines.
• Collaborates with hospital leadership on surgical service development, access, growth, staffing, and operational planning.
• Participates in required hospital and leadership meetings and communicates relevant information to Surgery Department employees.
• Maintains patient confidentiality and ensures compliance with HIPAA, infection prevention, safety, and hospital policies.
• Maintains clinical competence and remains available to provide hands-on support when department volume, staffing, emergencies, or patient needs require.
• Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the responsibilities and scope of the position.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited school of professional nursing
• Associate Degree in Nursing required; Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
• Additional education or training in perioperative nursing, leadership, or healthcare management preferred
• Minimum three years of recent perioperative, operating room, or surgical nursing experience required; five years preferred.
• Experience in a Critical Access Hospital, rural hospital, or similar setting preferred
• Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Colorado or current multistate privilege applicable to Colorado.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification required or obtained within the timeframe established by St. Vincent Health.
• Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR) certification preferred
• Strong knowledge of perioperative nursing practice, sterile technique, infection prevention, patient safety, and surgical workflows.
• Ability to lead, coach, evaluate, and hold staff accountable while maintaining a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to manage staffing, schedules, supplies, equipment, budgets, quality metrics, and multiple competing priorities.
• Effective communication and working relationships with surgeons, anesthesia providers, nursing staff, vendors, patients, and hospital leadership.
• Working knowledge of applicable CMS, Colorado, hospital, and evidence-based perioperative standards, including AORN guidance.
• Proficiency with electronic medical records, Microsoft Outlook and Word, and other department-specific technology.