Director of Nursing Critical Care & Cardiac Services

Ellis Medicine•Schenectady, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Critical Care & Cardiac Nursing Services provides clinical, operational, and professional nursing leadership across all critical care and cardiac service areas, including ICU, Respiratory Therapy, Dialysis, Echo/ECG, Cardiac Rehab, Telemetry, and the Inpatient CHF Program. This role ensures safe, high‑quality nursing practice, competency, staffing, regulatory readiness, and patient‑centered care across high‑acuity and cardiac populations. The Director partners closely with nursing leadership, intensivists, cardiologists, respiratory therapy, and clinical teams to maintain excellence in care delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing required
Current RN license.
5–7+ years of progressive nursing leadership experience in critical care, cardiac services, or high‑acuity clinical environments.
Demonstrated success improving nursing practice, staffing models, and quality outcomes.
Strong communication, relationship‑building, and problem‑solving skills.
Experience leading interdisciplinary teams in complex clinical settings.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Ensure consistent, evidence‑based practice across all critical care and cardiac units.
Oversee adherence to standards, policies, and clinical protocols.
Lead initiatives to improve nursing quality, patient safety, and clinical outcomes.
Support competency validation, annual skills, and ongoing professional development staff
Oversee daily clinical operations for ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac Rehab, CHF Program, Cath Lab \, Echo/ECG, Respiratory Therapy, and Dialysis.
Partner with clinical teams to maintain seamless care transitions between units and service lines.
Support multidisciplinary rounds and care coordination pathways.
Lead staffing operations for critical care and cardiac teams, ensuring appropriate coverage based on acuity and patient volume.
Oversee scheduling, float pool utilization, and daily staffing adjustments.
Support recruitment, retention, onboarding, and competency development for all areas.
Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, and clinical excellence.
Drive nursing quality initiatives related to CAUTI, CLABSI, falls, pressure injuries, ventilator‑associated events, and cardiac quality metrics.
Maintain continuous regulatory readiness across all critical care and cardiac areas.
Conduct audits, root cause analyses, and corrective action plans.
Partner with quality teams to ensure compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, DOH, other accrediting bodies and internal standards.
Promote patient‑centered care and compassionate communication in high‑acuity environments.
Improve communication pathways for families, care teams, and transitions of care.
Resolve escalated patient or family concerns and lead service recovery efforts.
Partner with intensivists, cardiologists, respiratory therapy leadership, dialysis teams, and Cath Lab leadership to support clinical excellence.
Collaborate with inpatient nursing, ED, primary care, and specialty practices to ensure seamless transitions of care.
Provide nursing input on throughput, bed utilization, and operational efficiency.
Support operational improvements in scheduling, access, and care coordination.
Participate in planning for new programs, services, and capacity changes.
Provide clinical insight for capital planning related to nursing equipment and technology.