Vice President Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer

Beaufort Memorial Hospital•Beaufort, SC

53d

About The Position

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) is the executive leader responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of nursing services and patient care delivery. CNO ensures clinical excellence, patient safety, and a culture of high performance, while aligning nursing operations with the organization's mission, vision, core values, and strategic goals. As a member of the senior leadership team, the CNO acts as a key bridge between clinical care and administrative initiatives, collaborating with physician leadership, support services, and executive colleagues to guarantee integrated, quality-driven care. Further establishes and maintains a positive rapport with the medical staff and Board of Trustees.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction and oversight for nursing across all patient care settings (inpatient, outpatient, specialty care) and across multiple locations.
Participate in the development and execution of organizational strategic plans.
Serve as a leader in shaping the professional nursing practice environment and culture of accountability, engagement, and improvement.
Ensure evidence-based, patient-centered nursing practices.
Lead quality and safety initiatives, including performance measurement and improvement plans.
Monitor nursing-sensitive metrics and ensure compliance with regulations.
Develop and manage nursing services budgets.
Ensure appropriate staffing models and resource allocation.
Assess and implement innovations for workflow efficiency.
Collaborate with VP/Chief People Officer to lead nurse recruitment, retention, professional development, and succession planning.
Promote shared governance, mentorship, and clinical advancement programs.
Foster a culture of accountability and empowerment.
Partner across departments to ensure integrated care and service excellence.
Represent nursing on executive committees and community forums.
Engage with regulatory and educational partners.
Maintain transparent communication between staff and leadership.
Advocate for nursing initiatives and resources.
Be a visible and accessible leader.
Ensure compliance with accreditation and licensure standards.
Oversee documentation, credentialing, and competency validation.
Stay current with external regulations and trends.
Leads organizational readiness and ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements by establishing and governing the nurse staffing plan, defining policies for skill mix and coverage, ensuring leadership presence and maintaining documentation of staffing structures across all in-patient and ambulatory areas.
Drives data-driven staffing optimization and quality improvement by integrating NDNQI metrics into performance dashboards to evaluate staffing adequacy, competency, and patient outcomes such as falls, HAPI and device-related infections.
Champions nursing excellence and patient safety through measurement, transparency, and accountability, leveraging analytics, benchmarking, and continuous performance review to align nurse staffing with CMS Conditions of Participation and the hospital's quality and safety goals.