Nurse Clinical Leader Orthopedics Acute

The Nurse Clinical Leader provides leadership and clinical expertise during their shift and within their department. They manage unit resources and supervise personnel to ensure appropriate staffing levels based on the unique needs of patients on the unit, both clinically and financially. They serve as clinical support for staff and exemplify competency and professionalism. As a part of line management, this role will have significant leadership responsibilities, including leading change, scheduling, maintenance of staff competencies, new employee selection and orientation, constructive discipline, and completion of annual employee performance reviews.

The Nurse Clinical Leader provides leadership support for professional governance.

The Nurse Clinical Leader also works in a regularly scheduled bedside RN shift with the responsibility for assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating the care of patients. The RN utilizes the nursing process with technology, therapeutic intervention, evidence-based practice and coordination of care with other health team members.

• Conduct thorough evaluations of physical, social, and psychological status, including cognitive, communication, and developmental skills when necessary.
• Gather and assess information from the interdisciplinary team: patient, family, physician, non-nursing professionals, support staff, and others.
• Model and foster an environment of professionalism and employee engagement on the unit.
• Advocate for nursing teams in respective practice areas.
• Support other members of nursing management with key messaging and priority initiatives.
• Set priorities and coordinate and organize the department’s patient care delivery through effective time, supplies, and resource management, including scheduling caregivers and approving or denying time‑off requests.
• Forecast, develop, and communicate accurate information on admission, discharge, and transfer to ensure appropriate patient placement while communicating with appropriate caregivers on difficult or challenging patients to facilitate appropriate care needs.
• Evaluate and promote staff competency, performance, and compliance with policies and procedures through performance reviews, peer reviews, caregiver recognition, and corrective action.
• Evaluate department needs and develop and implement plans to move staff from novice to expert nurses in areas of practice, clinical competency, and patient experience.
• Integrate legal and ethical standards into practice, comply with regulatory standards, practice within scope of licensure, provide accurate and timely documentation, and understand legal implications of care delivery.
• Make or recommend decisions related to staffing and hiring needs, candidate evaluation and selection, new hire orientation, and caregiver retention.
• Ensure that staffing levels and skill levels match census and acuity for the department and assign patient care and other responsibilities appropriate to skill and experience levels of individual caregivers.
• Assist staff members with direct patient care as needed.
• Share responsibility for the day‑to‑day operations, promoting safety, quality, and experience for patients and caregivers.
• Oversee competency of staff, including annual skills updates, ongoing educational in‑services, and completion of mandatory educational requirements.
• Oversee accountabilities for ongoing programs such as patient experience and continuous improvement.

• Leadership
• Communication
• Problem‑solving
• Clinical knowledge
• Resource management
• Patient safety
• Mentorship

• Current Nursing License to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state of practice.
• Valid compact licenses must be transferred to the state of practice within 60 days of the start of employment.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for Healthcare Providers.
• Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited institution (degree will be verified). Registered Nurses hired or promoted into this role must obtain their BSN within four years of their hire or promotion date, unless an existing education agreement applies.

• Demonstrated leadership and mentoring…