Director of Critical Care Services

Mercyhealth•Riverside, CA

About The Position

The Director of Critical Care Services leads clinical operations within a Level I Trauma Center. This leadership role advances quality and patient safety, strengthens multidisciplinary collaboration, supports staff development, and drives operational excellence while ensuring high-quality, evidence-based care for critically ill and injured patients. The position is scheduled for 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday during day-shift hours, with 24/7 accountability. The Director develops and implements a strategic vision aligned with the System and Department of Nursing missions and visions. The role manages budgets and teams, pursues cost savings and operational efficiencies, builds relationships with clinicians and physician leaders, and supports quality, safety, patient satisfaction, and service excellence. The position directly supervises the manager of critical care and indirectly supervises critical care partners. The work environment has a usually moderate noise level. The role involves contact with partners, physicians, patients, families, visitors, and vendors, and access to patient-care, financial, human-resource, and strategic-planning information as needed and directed. The position serves adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Master of Science in Nursing.
At least 3 to 5 years of progressively responsible hospital nursing leadership experience.
Licensed professional nurse in the state of practice.
Approved CPR and BLS within 90 days of hire.
Ability to follow written and oral instructions.
Strong business acumen, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and financial skills.
Experience with cost savings, expenditure controls, and efficiencies in health care operations.
Strong relationship-building and physician-partnering skills.
Demonstrated success identifying, recruiting, and retaining clinicians and unit leaders.
Commitment to quality, safety, customer service, and patient satisfaction.
Knowledge of continuous quality improvement principles and practices and accreditation and certification requirements and standards.
Strong written, verbal, communication, and presentation skills.
Ability to develop and mentor staff, communicate effectively and persuasively, build consensus, and align diverse needs and expectations.
Ability to meet the position’s physical demands, with or without reasonable accommodations, including sitting, talking or hearing, using hands, standing, walking, reaching, and close vision with ability to adjust focus.
Passing applicable driver’s license and/or credit checks for positions requiring them, and passing the applicable Wisconsin caregiver or Illinois health care worker background check.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree in a related field is preferred for candidates with a BSN.

Responsibilities

Develop, articulate, and implement a strategic vision for assigned departments that aligns with System and Department of Nursing missions and visions.
Manage budgets and teams to meet organizational objectives, including cost savings, expenditure controls, and operational efficiencies.
Recruit and retain strong clinicians and unit leaders, and develop and mentor staff and colleagues.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships with physician leaders and other partners.
Advance quality, patient safety, customer service, and evidence-based care for critically ill and injured patients.
Achieve patient satisfaction targets and implement Press Ganey and HCAHPS action plans for areas of responsibility.
Lead process improvement in operations, quality, and organizational change, applying continuous quality improvement principles and practices.
Maintain knowledge of accreditation and certification requirements and standards.
Model professional behavior, accountability, decisiveness, collaboration, and service excellence; coach staff on service standards and service recovery.
Conserve organizational resources, work within approved budgets, and develop and implement cost-saving measures.
Interview, hire, and train employees; plan, assign, and direct work; appraise performance; reward and discipline employees; address complaints and resolve problems; and ensure adherence to annual education and certification requirements.
Directly supervise the manager of critical care and indirectly supervise critical care partners.