Unit Director - UPMC Williamsport Total Joint & Spine Unit

UPMC•Williamsport, PA

About The Position

UPMC Williamsport is hiring a Unit Director to lead the Total Joint & Spine Unit, its primary surgical unit specializing in orthopedic surgeries and supported by a robust Total Joint Program. The unit also cares for other postoperative patients until they can transition to inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation or return home with post-surgical resources. The role provides clinical and operational leadership and is scheduled primarily days, with flexibility to support staff and operational needs. The Unit Director has 24-hour accountability for the assigned area and is responsible for improving patient care and employee experience, maintaining a healthy workplace, and overseeing clinical, administrative, and business functions. The director collaborates with medical staff on patient outcomes and clinical quality priorities, supports shared governance and patient-safety improvements, and fosters development for students and employees. Responsibilities also include staff selection and hiring, orientation, performance management and evaluations, and management of the department budget. The director leads and develops reporting clinicians and helps ensure that direct-care staff have the required competencies.

Requirements

Minimum of four years of progressive leadership experience.
Relevant clinical experience is preferred.
Bachelor’s degree or BSN required at time of hire, with a master’s degree or MSN required.
If the bachelor’s degree is not in nursing, a master’s or higher degree in nursing is required.
If the master’s degree is not in nursing, a BSN is required.
If the master’s degree or MSN is not held at hire, the employee must enroll in a master’s or MSN program within one year of hire or transfer and complete it within three years of enrollment.
Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse in the practicing state, or an applicable multistate license under the Nursing Licensure Compact.
Analytical ability to evaluate staff, address and improve clinical issues, and devise solutions to complex problems.
Leadership ability to develop staff, establish and maintain professional nursing practice standards, and meet administrative requirements.
Superior interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills to build relationships with patients, families, staff, physicians, hospital personnel, and senior management.
Ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills for interacting appropriately with patients across the ages served by the assigned unit, including understanding lifespan growth and development and assessing age-specific care needs.

Nice To Haves

Relevant clinical experience.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with medical staff to monitor patient outcomes, set clinical quality priorities, and recommend and implement professional improvements and patient-safety initiatives.
Monitor unit and department dashboard indicators and quality measures, establish action plans to address concerns, and work toward organizational goals.
Use research and evidence-based practice to improve clinical care, share learning across units or the system, and encourage nurses to participate in quality-improvement initiatives.
Analyze nurse and patient satisfaction data and develop action plans as needed.
Build productive internal and external relationships through mentoring, positive communication, trust, and effective conflict resolution.
Plan department work schedules with team members to support safety, appropriate working hours, and a healthy lifestyle.
Coach staff on cultural diversity, address workplace horizontal violence and impairment, and foster an environment that values differences.
Develop a shared vision and operational plan using critical thinking, financial and quality data, and input from staff and stakeholders.
Plan and lead complex change, support staff through transitions, and influence the external environment through participation in professional and advocacy organizations.
Promote patient-centered care and Relationship Based Care that addresses patients’ and families’ clinical, psychological, and spiritual needs.
Ensure nurses practice in accordance with organizational, professional, and regulatory clinical standards and apply national best practices and evidence-based practice.
Promote interdisciplinary collaboration through participation in committees and related activities.
Set clinical, financial, and human-resource priorities aligned with organizational goals; manage the department budget and resources, including flexible staffing patterns.
Develop staff expertise through developmental plans, staff development, clinical orientation, continuing education, and support for specialty certification.
Create a best-practice learning environment for students and new nurses, including recruiting nursing students through strong clinical experiences.
Support shared governance through a unit-based professional practice council and use staff feedback to improve care, nursing practice, and the workplace.
Lead and develop directly reporting clinicians in leadership, communication, mentorship, and daily leadership responsibilities.
Support clinicians overseeing their direct reports, including difficult conversations, performance reviews, and recruitment.
Assist with planning, implementing, and verifying required knowledge, skills, and attitude-based competencies for direct-care providers and staff, and address identified gaps.