Chief Nurse Anesthetist

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals.

Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY

The Chief Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Chief CRNA) provides executive-level clinical, operational, and administrative leadership for the CRNA and Anesthesia Technicians practice across UT Southwestern Medical Center, in a role that is 80% administrative and 20% clinical. Reporting to the Director of Clinical Anesthesiology Services and Associate Vice President (AVP) of Perioperative Services, this role ensures the delivery of safe, high-quality, efficient, and evidence-based anesthesia care across all clinical settings.

The Chief CRNA oversees CRNA and Anesthesia Technicians workforce strategy, clinical practice standards, operational performance, academic engagement, and regulatory compliance while fostering a culture of professionalism, collaboration, innovation, and patient-centered care.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Job Duties (80% administrative, 20% clinical)

Clinical Leadership

* Establishes and maintains the highest standards of anesthesia care, patient safety, and clinical outcomes.

* Develops, implements, and evaluates anesthesia practice policies, procedures, and protocols aligned with institutional and regulatory standards.

* Maintains an active clinical practice delivering anesthesia care across a broad range of surgical and procedural settings.

* Serves as a clinical expert, mentor, and role model for CRNAs, RRNAs, Anesthesia Technicians, and interdisciplinary staff.

* Collaborates with anesthesiologists and perioperative leaders to optimize care for high-acuity patients.

* Leads quality improvement, patient safety, and evidence-based practice initiatives.

Operational Management

* Directs day-to-day operations of CRNA and Anesthesia Technician services across hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and procedural areas.

* Oversees staffing models, scheduling, deployment, and productivity management to ensure safe and efficient coverage.

* Partners with perioperative and hospital leadership to improve throughput, on-time starts, and resource utilization.

* Monitors key operational and quality metrics; implements performance improvement strategies as needed.

* Participates in disaster preparedness, emergency response planning, and staffing contingency management.

* Oversees recruitment, onboarding, credentialing, privileging, and retention of CRNA and Anesthesia Technician staff.

* Ensures compliance with institutional policies, Texas regulations, CMS Conditions of Participation, and accreditation standards (e.g. The Joint Commission, AANA).

* Contributes to budget planning, labor management, and financial stewardship of CRNA and Anesthesia Technician services.

Personnel Leadership

* Recruits, develops, mentors, and retains a high-performing and engaged CRNA and Anesthesia Technician workforce.

* Fosters a culture of accountability, inclusion, professionalism, and continuous learning.

* Conducts performance evaluations, coaching, and corrective actions in accordance with HR policies.

* Supports leadership development and succession planning within the CRNA and Anesthesia Technician group

* Promotes staff wellness, resilience, and workforce sustainability initiatives.

Academic & Educational Responsibilities

* Supports the academic mission through collaboration with nurse anesthesia educational programs.

* Provides clinical teaching, mentorship, and supervision for RRNAs and trainees.

* Oversees onboarding, competency…