Chief Nursing Officer

Description

THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the Ministry Chief Executive, and matrixed to the Regional Chief Clinical Executive, the CNO has overall responsibility for the operation and ongoing development of the Professional Nursing Practice. The Chief Nursing Officer directs nursing services by approval and implementation of nursing policies, procedures, standards and staffing plans. The incumbent assures that nursing services are integrated into the ministry's performance improvement plan in support of the PSJH nursing strategic plan.

As a member of the hospital executive team, the leader assumes an active leadership role inter-departmentally, with the medical staff, and as a key representative to the community.

With a constant focus on whole person care, quality, staff and patient safety, the CNO creates and maintains standards and systems for care delivery at their ministry. These systems of care delivery promote evidence-based practice and are designed to support the management of productivity targets, patient acuity, and appropriate planning for and use of available resources.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
•  Communication and Relationship Building:
•  Creates a work environment that facilitates and encourages involvement of the staff in critical thinking to enact professional nursing practice.
•  Build collaborative relationships.
•  Uses shared decision making to accomplish the organization's primary goal which is service to patients, families and the community.
•  Promotes implementation of processes and resources that deliver data and information to empower staff to participate meaningfully in clinical decision making.
•  Establish an environment that values diversity in which care is delivered in a manner sensitive to social and cultural diversity.
•  Provides and maintains effective communications with medical staff, the community, and all levels of supervision and staff. Rounds for improved visibility and to meet specific goals such as safety.
•  Represent the organization to non-health care constituents within the community.
•  Represent nursing to the media.
•  Serve on community-based boards, advisory groups, and task forces.
•  Represent nursing at medical executive committee and other departmental/medical staff committees.
•  Collaborate with nursing programs to provide required resources.
•  Serve on academic advisory councils.
•  Collaborate in nursing research and translate evidence into practice.
•  Create academic partnerships to ensure a qualified workforce for the future
•  Knowledge of the Health Care Environment:
•  Communicate patient care standards as established by accreditation, regulatory and quality agencies.
•  Ensure compliance with the State Nurse Practice Act, State Board of Nursing regulations, state and federal regulatory agency standards, federal labor standards and policies of the organization.
•  Adhere to professional association standards of nursing practice.
•  Ensure that written organizational clinical policies and procedures are reviewed and updated in accordance with evidence-based practice.
•  Integrate bioethical and legal dimensions into clinical and management decision-making.
•  Ensure protection of human subject rights and safety in clinical research.
•  Assess the effectiveness of delivery models.
•  Develop new delivery models.
•  Participate in the design of facilities.
•  Align care delivery models and staff performance with key safety and economic drivers (e.g., value-based purchasing, bundled payment).
•  Take action when opportunities exist to adjust operations to respond effectively to environmental changes in economic elements.
•  Use knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations that affect the provision of patient care (e.g., tort reform, malpractice/negligence, reimbursement).
•  Participate in legislative process on health care issues through such mechanisms as membership in professional organization and personal contact with officials.
•  Educate patient care team members on the legislative process, the regulatory process and methods for influencing both.
•  Interpret impact of legislation at the state and federal level on nursing and health care organizations.
•  Represent patient care issues to the governing body.
•  Participate in strategic planning and quality initiatives with the governing body.
•  Use evidence for establishment of standards, practices and patient care models in the organization (nurse sensitive outcomes).
•  Design feedback mechanisms by which to adapt practice based upon outcomes from current processes.
•  Design and interpret outcome measures.
•  Disseminate research findings to patient care team members.
•  Allocate nursing resources based on measurement of patient acuity/care needed.
•  Monitor and address nurse sensitive outcomes and satisfaction indicators.
•  Support the development of an organization-wide patient safety program.
•  Use knowledge of patient safety science (e.g., human factors, complex adaptive systems, LEAN and Six Sigma, high reliability organization).
•  Monitor clinical activities to identify both expected and unexpected risks.
•  Support a Just Culture (non-punitive) reporting environment, supporting a reward system for identifying unsafe practices.
•  Support safety surveys, responding and acting on safety recommendations.
•  Leadership:
•  Address ideas, beliefs or viewpoints that should be given serious consideration.
•  Recognize one's own method of decision making and the role of beliefs, values and inferences.
•  Apply critical analysis to organizational issues after a review of the evidence.
•  Maintain curiosity and an eagerness to explore new knowledge and ideas.
•  Promote nursing leadership as both a science and an art.
•  Demonstrate reflective practice and an understanding that all leadership begins from within.
•  Provide visionary thinking on issues that impact the health care organization.
•  Provide visionary thinking on issues that impact the health care organization.
•  Recognize the contribution of mental models on behavior.
•  Promote systems thinking as an expectation of leaders and staff.
•  Consider the impact of nursing decisions on the health care organization as a whole.
•  Develop a leadership succession plan.
•  Promote nursing leadership as a desirable specialty.
•  Mentor current and future nurse leaders.
•  Establish mechanisms that provide for early identification and mentoring of staff with leadership potential.
•  Develop a workforce analysis plan and implement strategies to ensure an adequate and qualified workforce.
•  Professionalism:
•  Hold self and others accountable for mutual professional expectations and outcomes.
•  Contribute to the advancement of the profession.
•  Participate in and contribute to professional organizations.
•  Demonstrate and promote leader and staff participation in professional organizations.
•  Promote leader and staff participation in lifelong learning and educational achievement.
•  Promote professional certification for staff.
•  Role model standards of professional practice (clinical, educational and leadership) for colleagues and constituents.
•  Coach others in developing their own career plans.
•  Seek input and mentorship from others in career planning and development.
•  Develop a personal and professional career plan and measure progress.
•  Solicit feedback about personal strengths and weaknesses.
•  Act on feedback about personal strengths and weaknesses.
•  Uphold ethical principles and corporate compliance standards.
•  Hold self and staff accountable to comply with ethical standards of practice.
•  Discuss, resolve and learn from ethical dilemmas.
•  Promote clinical perspective in organizational decisions.
•  Involve nurses and other staff in decisions that affect their practice.
•  Represent the perspective of patients and families.
•  Advocate for optimal health care in the community.
•  Business Skills:
•  Develop and manage an annual operating budget and long-term capital expenditure plan.
•  Use business models for health care organizations and apply fundamental concepts of economics.
•  Interpret financial statements.
•  Manage financial resources.
•  Ensure the use of accurate charging mechanisms.
•  Educate patient care team members on financial implications of patient care decisions.
•  Participate in the negotiation and monitoring of contract compliance (e.g., physicians, service providers).
•  Evaluate the results of employee satisfaction/quality of work environment surveys.
•  Support reward and recognition programs to enhance performance.
•  Formulate programs to enhance work-life balance.
•  Interpret and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory guidelines.
•  Provide education regarding components of collective bargaining.
•  Promote a culture of safety.
•  Promote healthful work environments that proactively addresses and mitigates sexual harassment and workplace violence).
•  Create the operational objectives, goals and specific strategies required to achieve the strategic outcome.
•  Able to articulate the value-contribution of nursing and clinical services.
•  Utilize the balanced scorecard analysis to manage change.
•  Evaluate achievement of operational objectives and goals click apply for full job details