Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Advocate Christ Medical Center provides strategic leadership and is accountable for Nursing and designated clinical operations departments in accordance with Advocate Aurora’s mission, vision, and values. The Chief Nursing Officer is a transformational leader who creates an inclusive environment for all team members, that results in patient/consumer centered, high quality, safe, effective, efficient, timely and equitable care. The CNO ensures fidelity to national and Advocate Aurora’s evidence-based standards of nursing practice excellence. The CNO fosters a culture in which excellence in clinical care, education, research, and the engagement of professional nurses in practice decisions results in sustained achievement of targeted clinical quality outcomes, team member engagement, patient experience and financial results.  The CNO advances the nursing profession by fostering continuous professional growth and leadership development for nurses at all levels, role modeling commitment to health equity, diversity, and inclusion, and leading to quality and patient experience outcomes. The CNO works collaboratively in a dyad relationship with the site Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and within a matrixed, interprofessional environment to achieve optimal patient/consumer care across the continuum.

Major Responsibilities:

• Oversees the development and implementation of the site nursing operations plan including staffing resource requirements, care models, workflows and throughput, equipment, and technology in alignment with the site and system nursing strategy.
• Responsible for nursing clinical quality performance, team member engagement in areas of accountability, and patient experience. Promotes a culture of safety and high reliability behaviors.
• Commits to continuous quality improvement. In partnership with site CMO and quality leaders, monitors performance to clinical quality targets and develops plans to address gaps using rigorous quality improvement methods and resources.
• Utilizes interactions with board members to share nursing results, provide industry and professional context, and demonstrate nursing’s contribution to organizational results.
• Develops short- and long-term strategic plans, including growth and innovation strategies. Ensures nursing strategies align with patient service area and system strategies and effectively support the achievement of the organization's objectives and mission.
• Leverages and evaluates health care technology and/or nursing information management systems to optimize nursing practice, documentation accuracy and efficiency, quality improvement, and patient care.
• Leads to an environment of clinical excellence, structural empowerment and two-way communication with clinical nurses using the Advocate Aurora Nursing Shared Governance structures and processes. Involves nurses in unit and site-based professional practice decisions, engages nurses in evidence-based practice, professional development, and nursing research. Supports interprofessional, team-based improvement initiatives. Strives to maintain or work towards Magnet status.
• Ensures the provision of time, resources and learning environments that result in a culture of continuous professional development for all team members. Recommends changes in curricula based on evolving learning and needs and competency requirements.
• Interprets and complies with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and standards as they relate to nursing services. Develops and maintains strong physician relationships ensuring effective, proactive, and ongoing communication. Oversees the development and administration of policies and procedures to accomplish department-specific and organizational initiatives.
• Supports a Just Culture (non-punitive) reporting environment. Serves as a change leader, uses change theory to implement change. Coaches and mentor direct reports and others in developing their career plans. Contributes to the advancement of the nursing profession. Advocates for optimal health care in the community. Develops new care delivery models that align with evidence-based practices and with key safety and economic drivers. Establishes an environment that values and promotes diversity, equality and inclusion and establishes cultural competency in the workforce.
• Performs human resources responsibilities for staff which include interviewing and selection of new employees, promotions, staff development, performance evaluations, compensation changes, resolution of employee concerns, corrective actions, terminations, and overall employee morale.
• Develops and recommends operating and capital budgets and controls expenditures within approved budget objectives.
• Responsible for understanding and adhering to the organization's Code of Ethical Conduct and for ensuring that personal actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations, and laws applicable to the organization's business.

Education and Licensure Required:

• Licensure Required: Nurse, Registered (RN)
• Registered Nurse license issued by the state in which the team member practices. Certified in area of specialty
• Education Required: Bachelor's degree in Nursing, and Master's Degree in Nursing, or Master's degree in Health Care Administration, or Master's Degree in Business Management or related field.
• If Master’s degree is not in Nursing, then must have a Bachelor’s or other advanced degree in Nursing.
• DNP preferred.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Typically requires 15 years of experience in nursing and health care administration that includes experiences in overseeing nursing practices and operations for a medical center within a large complex healthcare organization and developing and maintaining quality nursing programs.
• Includes 5 years of management experience in management of staff and budgets.
• Skills and demonstrated experience in developing, facilitating, and leading nursing programs and initiatives which align with organizational goals and objectives.
• Comprehensive knowledge of effective best practice in nursing operations, regulations, and guidelines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of employees, which is necessary to collaborate with management/executives/ other organizations.
• Skills and demonstrated experience in establishing excellent working relationships and strategic partnering with various teams and executives across a large organization to achieve a shared vision, values, and objectives.
• Demonstrated track record of success leading very large inpatient nursing teams to excellence.
• Magnet experience highly desirable.

Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, a southwest suburb of Chicago, is one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in Illinois, providing emergency care for more than 100,000 patients annually. A premier teaching institution with top residency programs. Nationally ranked center for cardiology and heart surgery, among other specialties, Christ also is a major referral hospital in the Midwest for cancer care, heart and kidney transplantation, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s health. Advocate Christ Medical Center received its fifth Magnet designation, which is a testament to its commitment to high-quality nursing. 

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Must be able to operate all equipment essential in performing the job. Generally exposed to a normal office environment. Position requires some travel so will be exposed to weather and road hazards. Must be able to sit 50% of the workday and stand 40%. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.
• This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.