Nurse Manager - Acute Dialysis and Vascular Access Team

About the Role

The Nurse Manager of Acute Dialysis and Vascular Access Team (VAT) assumes 24-hour responsibility, authority, and accountability for the operations, quality, patient care delivery, and personnel within these services. This position provides leadership for staffing, scheduling, productivity, budgeting, quality improvement, policy development and review, regulatory readiness, caregiver engagement, and clinical practice standards. The Nurse Manager partners closely with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing leaders, and interdisciplinary teams to promote collaboration, operational excellence, patient safety, and optimal clinical outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the operations of assigned department to ensure smooth and efficient department operations, efficient workflow resource utilization, and timely access to care 24/7.
• Collaborate with other staff members to facilitate provision of patient care.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, accrediting body, and organizational regulations, standards, and dialysis-specific requirements.
• Develop, review, revise, and implement departmental policies, procedures, and clinical practice guidelines to support safe, evidence-based patient care.
• Collaborate with nephrologists, hospitalists, intensivists, surgeons, advanced practice providers, nursing leadership, and interdisciplinary teams to support effective patient care delivery and operational excellence.
• Monitor key performance indicators, quality outcomes, patient safety metrics, operational efficiencies, and regulatory requirements, implementing action plans as needed.
• Support clinical excellence in acute hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, apheresis, and vascular access services through caregiver development, competency validation, and adherence to best practices.
• Maintain operational readiness for regulatory surveys and participate in quality assurance, performance improvement, and accreditation activities.
• Ensure adequate departmental staffing to provide safe patient care through review of appropriate data, development and maintenance of master schedules.
• Manage staffing and scheduling (control of master schedule; ETO & LOA approval; light duty scheduling) – delegate related clerical functions to admin assistant and/or other applicable staff.
• Act as the department liaison to other hospital departments and outside entities.
• Responsible for resource management ensuring appropriate and sufficient equipment and supplies are available.
• Serve as a real-time resource and assist with clinical expertise for staff with problem-solving on patient care, processes, and family issues.
• Maintain ongoing communication with staff, department leadership, and others to ensure needs are being met for staff and patients.
• Engage medical staff to obtain input on the operation of the department and key decisions.
• Communicate (both written and orally) effectively and maintain professional relationships with caregivers, medical staff, patients, guests, and other hospital departments.
• Role model two-way communication of the St. Charles Health System mission, vision, values, and strategic plan for the department (staff meetings, rounds, etc.).
• Coordinate quality initiatives and process improvements.
• Align and manage to St. Charles Health System metrics and quality initiatives.
• Oversee trending of quality and financial indicators including LOS with case manager support.
• Facilitate department meetings and shared governance/leadership efforts.
• Responsible for budget development, regular monitoring, accountability, and meeting all operational targets for all areas within span of control.
• Manage operations within the budget and provide productivity oversight and review.
• Develop and implement annual plan including goals for unit with director and supervisor.
• Control and maintain position control including the addition and deletion of positions related to budget and human resource needs.
• Hire, direct, coach, and monitor the performance of all direct reports to develop and maintain a high-performance team that meets organizational and department goals.
• Responsible for performance and annual review of direct reports.
• Comply with Human Resource processes and controls.
• Monitor and ensure all direct reports are current with compliance and safety requirements.
• Implement and manage all organizational safety directives and goals.
• Provide and oversee team’s delivery of customer service in a manner that promotes goodwill, is timely, efficient, and accurate.
• Assist with quality, safety, customer service, and regulatory compliance oversight: EMS – Receipt, assignment, tracking and trending, delegation.
• Create a healing environment that supports all aspects of care, respects the wholeness of the individual, and demonstrates therapeutic presence through attitudes and behaviors that enhance the care experience for patients and caregivers.
• Oversee staff documentation for patient care to ensure proficiency in compliance with hospital policies and regulatory agencies.
• Direct, oversee, and provide for leadership development of staff.
• Support the vision, mission, and values of the organization in all respects.
• Collaborate with teams to review processes and identify/implement opportunities for improvements, applying Value Improvement Practice concepts and tools.
• Support Value Improvement Practice (VIP- Lean) principles of continuous improvement with energy and enthusiasm, functioning as a champion of change.
• Provide and maintain a safe environment for caregivers, patients, and guests.
• Conduct all activities with the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures, supporting the organization’s corporate integrity efforts by acting in an ethical and appropriate manner, reporting known or suspected violation of applicable rules, and cooperating fully with all organizational investigations and proceedings.
• May perform additional duties of similar complexity within the organization, as required or assigned.

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
• BSN required; Master’s degree in Nursing preferred.
• Current licensure with the Oregon State Board of Nursing.
• Ability to travel to business functions/trainings/meetings and all St. Charles Health System worksites.
• AHA Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider certification.
• 5 years related experience with demonstrated clinical expertise in dialysis services.
• 1 year nursing leadership experience.
• Acute hemodialysis experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Dialysis Nurse (CDN), Certified Nephrology Nurse (CNN), or related specialty certification in nephrology nursing or vascular access.
• Experience in a specialty area of nursing, peritoneal dialysis experience, therapeutic apheresis experience, or progressive leadership experience in dialysis, renal services, vascular access, or related specialty programs.
• Experience with policy development, regulatory readiness, quality improvement, and performance management.