Director of Nursing Excellence

TITLE: Director of Nursing Excellence & Magnet

LOCATION: Advocate Christ Medical Center

ADDRESS: 4444 West 95th Street, Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Advocate Health – Midwest Region

Comprehensive Relocation Assistance available

• Job ID # R107529
• Schedule: Full time, permanent

ABOUT ADVOCATE HEALTH: Advocate Health is the nation’s third largest, nonprofit healthcare enterprise. In December of 2022, four mission driven health systems came together to Do More, Better, and Faster to provide safe, quality, more affordable and equitable care for all the communities and patients we serve across North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, and Wisconsin:

• Atrium Health
• Advocate Health Care
• Aurora Health Care
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Together, we operate 69 hospitals and over 1K ambulatory centers. We support the careers of 155K team members, 42K nurses, 21K physicians who care for 6M patients annually. Our combined $6B in community benefits enables us to foster healthier communities.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE: The Director of Excellence and Magnet at Advocate Christ Medical Centerwill lead at our not-for-profit, 788-bed, premier teaching institution, one of the major referral hospitals in the Midwest for a number of specialties, and a five-time Magnet designee. The hospital is one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in Illinois.

MAGNET: Provides leadership and directs primary responsibilities for sustaining Magnet related to nursing excellence. Provides guidance and support for the site Chief Nurse Executive, VP Nursing, Directors, Managers, Assistant Clinical Managers (ACM’s), Clinical Operations Assistances (COAs) and Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs)/Clinical Practice Partners (CPPs) to sustain Magnet designation.

• Assumes responsibility for the organization, coordination, and administration of the Magnet Recognition Program for the nursing division fostering innovation and excellence in nursing.
• Responsible for assuring the 14 Forces are deployed and hardwired in the organization through coordination, education and consultation with leadership and staff. Promotes the professional role of nursing within the institution and community and fosters national recognition. Develops and implements innovative programs that will meet one or more of the Forces of Magnetism.
• Ensures continuous professional advancement by developing the capacity of the sites workforce.
• Designs and develops creative improvement programs to bring the sites nursing to top decile of performance in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams.
• Directs, facilitates, and coordinates successful designation and re-designation process every four years. Conducts gap analysis for Forces and works closely with leadership to formulate plans to close the gaps in performance. Coordinates documentation required for maintenance of Magnet status including interim report and demographic data to Magnet Office. Leads, coordinates and monitors activities of the Magnet Advisory Council. Designs, implements, coordinates and/or evaluates educational needs related to Magnet.

RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE (EBP): Provides leadership and direction for the development and implementation of the sites nursing research program, the dissemination of research findings and scholarly activities.

• Demonstrate and facilitate the utilization of evidence-based practice and research findings to promote nursing excellence and sustain Magnet. Foster and facilitate internal and external Research and EBP study opportunities.
• Provide leadership to the integration and utilization of nursing literature and pertinent concepts as the basis of Magnet integration.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance and outcomes through current nursing research and PI data. Support and/or participate in research studies and programs designed for the improvement of patient care or the improvement of hospital services as appropriate. Assess and incorporate research findings and current standards of practice, educational offerings and clinical practice.
• Collaborate with nursing and research leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of missing research programs and protocols. Serves as a resource consultant for the utilization of research/performance improvement in professional nursing practice. Works with research staff and other key groups to promote, support and mentor individual and collaborative research activities.
• Lead the Nursing Research Councils for the site. Leads partnerships around nursing research. -Promote nursing research and EBP in publications and professional conferences and meetings
• Participate in and lead/co-lead system-wide nursing research activities (i.e.; Advocate Nursing Research Symposium, Advocate Nursing Research Committee).
• Partner with the Development Office/Foundation to pursue fundraising opportunities for research and professional development. Work with other AHC leaders to develop, implement and monitor nursing research and EBP grants.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Collaborates with nursing leadership to develop and implement mechanisms to foster the professional development of all nursing associates.

• Leads the APNs/CPPs in the promotion of the advancement of nursing practice. Fosters collaboration between the APNs/CPPs and the Manager of Clinical Education and Research to assess, design and implement advanced competency. Collaborates with the APNs/CPPs and nursing leadership in the development and implementation of standards of practice and nursing policies and procedures.
• Partners with the Medical Staff Office to coordinate the requirements of APN credentialing.
• Facilitates national nursing certification study groups and local test sites. Innovative programs are presented and published locally, regionally, or nationally on one or more of the Forces of Magnetism.
• Develops, implements programs to operationalize Magnet Forces. Initiates programs designated for the advancement of professional nursing practice.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION: Demonstrates skill in planning activities to meet operational goals to support the strategic plan; identify opportunities to gain competitive advantage for clinical and support staff education, learning and orientation and patient education.

• Function as project director for the Magnet process while supporting the strategic needs of the hospital. Manages the development and production of the Annual Nursing Report. Identifies and acts on opportunities to gain competitive advantage. Ensure the nursing strategic plan is congruent with organizational goals and priorities.

LEADERSHIP: Demonstrates a leadership style that motivates associates and encourages loyalty, positive attitudes, and enthusiasm.

• Motivates and engages all site associates in the Magnet process.
• Maintains professional collaborative relationships with staff, physicians, and members of the Executive Team.
• Manages resources, including direct reports and budgets to provide efficient, cost effective and outcomes-oriented staff education, clinical support and training.
• Facilitates professional nursing meetings and activities. Utilizes teamwork to help achieve objectives and improve operations within nursing, the hospital and Advocate.
• Facilitates all aspects of the Magnet process from application to maintenance of designation Communicates to nursing staff through hospital publications, nursing newsletters and annual reports. Presents information related to department programs/initiatives to nursing leadership.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Education/Experience Required:

1. Masters degree in nursing
2. Minimum 3 years management experience
3. 5+ Years Clinical experience
4. Current RN license in the State of Illinois

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

1. Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and research expertise.
2. Magnet Recognition Program expertise.
3. Current knowledge of the Magnet standards related to nursing practice.
4. Advanced writing skills
5. Ability to lead via influence
6. Planning, deployment, and evaluation expertise.

Taking care of our team members and leaders is a top priority. We strive to develop and maintain an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome, valued, and thrives. Supporting careers and professional development is one facet of caring for our leaders through structured leadership onboarding, enhanced tuition reimbursement, progressive developmental programs, succession planning and mentoring performance excellence. Competitive compensation, eligible annual incentive plans and comprehensive health care packages are top of mind to care for your financial health and well-being.