The Nursing Director, Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) coordinates activities and organizational initiatives that enable VCU Health System to be recognized within the healthcare community. This position is responsible for providing operational, administrative, and financial leadership and oversight to the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) and reports to the Senior Administrator, Ambulatory Surgery Center.

The Nursing Director, Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) ensures that excellent patient care is provided by a nursing staff and team members of sufficient number and competency to meet patient needs. Care is delivered in an environment that is healthy, healing, and respectful to all patients, visitors, and staff. The nursing director job provides quality customer service to patients of all ages, their families, visitors, medical staff, clinicians, and co-workers, ensuring that everyone will be treated courteously, quickly, and with respect. This role establishes and maintains an environmental control plan, coordinate materials management for the department, and assist in monitoring activities.

This individual is responsible for leading the delivery of outstanding patient care services and, ensuring that the ASC operations are safe, effective, and aligned with the mission and vision of the VCU Health System. In addition, the Director of Nursing ensures that the ASC remains competitive in the delivery of services and staying up to date on changes and discoveries in the field of ambulatory surgeries in terms of new procedures, technology, and best practices. The Nursing Director is also responsible for ensuring services rendered are aligned and support the concepts of high reliability organizations and accurately complies with internal and external regulatory and accreditation guidelines.

Essential Job Statements

Providing strong team leadership. Utilizing his/her ability to motivate staff and respond to individual and team needs. Developing a strong team culture, dealing appropriately with staff conflict. Effectively communicating with staff and promoting two-way communications. Proactively promoting staff satisfaction and retention and taking prompt action to address concerns or issues. Demonstrating collaboration and partnership skills with physicians, health care team members, colleagues, administrative leaders, and others. Effectively leading and facilitating meetings. Is self-directed in own professional development: setting outcomes, seeking needed resources, or learning, seeking, and accepting feedback. Displaying the ability to plan time, organize workload and delegates effectively and efficiently. Understanding organizational wide objectives and priorities; incorporating them into unit goals. Utilizing the Nursing and Perioperative Strategic Plan in developing unit-based priorities. Leading and maintaining a learning environment for students and staff.

Ensures that operations run efficiently and economically as evidenced by: Being clinically skilled, familiar with recent developments, having an obvious passion for nursing with commitment to excellence in nursing practice. Ensuring compliance with patient care standards. Reviewing incidents and complaints and acts in a timely fashion. Developing annual staffing plan and staffing grid in collaboration with Senior Administrator, ASC. Managing and maintaining staffing according to plan and the needs of patients. Effectively dealing with process issues, interdepartmental or ancillary problems. Effectively managing and providing sufficient resources for care including supplies, medications, and equipment. Creating and maintaining a healthy and healing environment.

Assists staff in establishing realistic expectations through self-evaluation as evidenced by coaching, mentoring, and empowering staff in their clinical and professional development. Inspiring, motivating and supporting staff to pursue professional advancement program, advanced education, and certification. Collaborating with the team to develop unit specific plan for orientation, competency assessment and staff development. Assuring effective orientation and clinical competence. Fostering leadership growth among staff, able to identify and mentor potential leaders.

Displays competency in human resource management as evidenced by: Demonstrating effective management and progressive discipline for performance issues. Maintaining turnover and vacancy rates consistent with VCUHS benchmark. Performing timely and meaningful performance feedback and evaluations. Using behavioral interviewing to select nursing staff members whose values, skills, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills are consistent with those necessary to meet patient needs.

Effectively controls costs through economical utilization of personnel, materials and equipment as evidenced by: Developing the unit's personnel, non-personnel, and capital equipment budget to meet care delivery goals. Monitoring achievement of budget and productivity targets on a weekly, monthly basis. Proactively addresses issues and completes budget variance analysis. Evaluating, implementing, and maintaining cost effective practices.

Participates and works closely with members of the health team continuum in performance improvement and evidence-based practice as evidenced by: Collaborating with staff members to facilitate performance improvement activities and projects. Utilizing the performance improvement process to address clinical practice and system changes within the ASC and broader organization. Consistently monitors patient satisfaction and customer feedback, taking prompt action on issues striving for service excellence. Utilizing the evidence-based Performance Improvement Process/Quality Improvement to address clinical practice and departmental/system changes.

Establishes effective working relationships and works effectively with other divisions and departments. Incorporates input from key stakeholders to develop and execute plans. 

Generates synergy and makes self-visible amongst staff, patients, and physicians. Makes regular rounds on staff and patients. Meets regularly with team and other key members. Makes an effort to stay in contact and visible on evening, night and weekend shifts at times. 

Develops program to improve effectiveness of the overall operations evidenced by performance improvement plans with the use of benchmarking. Use of data to drive decisions and is proactive in determining the priorities for the unit(s). 

Effectively manages department budget demonstrating strong budgeting skills for the operating and capital budgeting. Monitors results at least monthly, addresses gaps with clear action plans to meet intended goals. This includes daily reconciliation, charge capture, contract reviews, cost stewardship. 

Supports Senior Administrator, ASC in leading Board Meetings. Works closely with the board and the medical director to ensure all Ambulatory Surgery regulatory requirements are met.

Demonstrates corporate compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including those related to Medicaid, Medicare, and HIPPA. Ensure security measures are in place.

Has full authority and accountability for actions and decisions within the scope of the position description and hospital policies and procedures. Providing strong team leadership. Utilizing his/her ability to motivate team members and leaders and respond to individual and team needs. Developing a strong team culture. Effectively communicating with leaders and team members and promoting two-way communications.  Proactively promoting staff satisfaction and retention and taking prompt action to address concerns or issues.

Address all regulatory concerns, infection control, quality and safety, the policy manual, operational protocols, incidents, and grievances.

Proactively collaborates with physicians to meet patient needs and exceed patient expectations, and effectively builds and manages a team of high-performing clinicians to deliver excellent patient care while effectively fostering and sustaining a zero-patient harm culture.

Maximizes ASC effectiveness utilizing corporate resources appropriately and effectively.

Stays current with all ASC regulations, including state and federal government regulations; AORN, AAMI, ASHRAE, fire and life safety, and other guidelines to ensure ambulatory surgery center compliance.

Performs other duties and participates in special projects Performs other duties as assigned and/or participates in special projects to support the mission of VCUHS and department. Provides assistance to team members. Accepts alternate assignments as required.

Patient Population

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide equitable care appropriate to the age of the patients served on their assigned unit.  

Demonstrates knowledge and related competencies of the principles of growth and development of the life span and possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interprets the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to  their age, specific needs and to provide the equitable care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.

Pediatrics (1-12 years

Adolescents (13-17 years)

Adults (18-64 years).

Geriatrics (65 years and older)

Employment Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing. Must be enrolled in a Master’s degree program at the time of application and must be complete within 36 months of hire. 

• Special consideration will be given for applicants enrolled in baccalaureate to doctoral programs who will not attain a Master’s degree and may require longer than 36 months to complete the terminal degree. 

If the Master’s degree is not in nursing then it is required to have a BSN from an accredited school.

Preferred Education:

•  DNP or PhD preferred

Licensing/ Certification

Licensure/Certification Required:

• Current RN licensure in Virginia or eligible or compact state
• AHA Basic Life Support

Licensure/Certification Preferred:

• National RN Specialty Certification (NE-BC, NEA-BC, CENP, CNOR, CNAMB)

Minimum Qualifications

Years and Type of Required Experience

• Five years (5) of relevant clinical experience with three (3) years of leadership experience in a surgery center and/or perioperative setting.

Years and Type of Preferred Experience

• Experience in academic medical center environment

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• All day-to-day operations of the unit are handled independently.
• Advice and guidance are sought from the Director on an as needed situational basis and when there is a major impact on: activity outside the unit.
• Actions that are taken without prior approval include daily operational functions and leadership, of staff.
• With Guidance of Supervisor, advice and guidance are sought for termination of employees, handling employee grievances, review of annual unit goals and budget, approval on unit guidelines and procedures and review of staff annual performance evaluations.
• Supervisory responsibilities (if applicable): All employees of the nursing unit report to this position.
• Additional position requirements: Requires 24/7 visibility to enhance staff communication and monitor staff effectiveness

Cultural Responsiveness

• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Familiarity with the intricacies of an academic environment and the complexities of large health delivery systems a plus.
•  Experience as an administrator and/or leader in an outpatient surgery setting highly preferred.

Working Conditions

Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.

General office environment.

Long-distance or air travel as needed- not to exceed 10% travel.

May be exposed to limited hazardous substances or body fluids. *

May be exposed to human blood and other potentially infectious materials. * 

May have periods of constant interruptions.

Physical Requirements

Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.)

Push/ Pull (0-50 lbs.)

Stoop, Kneel, Squat

Crawling

Climbing

Balance

Bending

Work Position

Sitting

Walking

Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards

Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination)

Maneuver weight of patients

Hear alarms/telephone/tape recorder

Reach above shoulder

Repetitive arm/hand movements

Finger Dexterity

Color Vision

Acuity – far

Acuity – near

Hazards

Exposure to x ray/electromagnetic energy

Mental/Sensory – Emotional  

Mental / Sensory

Strong Recall

Reasoning

Problem Solving

Hearing

Speak Clearly

Write Legibly

Reading

Emotional

Steady Pace

Able to Handle Multiple Priorities

Frequent and Intense Customer Interactions

Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran/41 CFR 60-1.4.