Lead Nurse

Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced Nursing Team Leader to provide clinical oversight, staff education, and leadership within a nationally recognized 30-bed Acute Care Orthopedic Medical-Surgical unit. This unit delivers post-surgical care to patients recovering from complex orthopedic procedures, including joint replacements (knee, hip, ankle, shoulder), total joint revisions, spinal surgeries, fracture repairs, and wound management.Operating within a Joint Commission-certified Joint Replacement Program environment, the Nursing Team Leader works alongside an interdisciplinary team of physicians, physician assistants, physical/occupational therapists, case managers, and pharmacists to promote exceptional patient outcomes.Key ResponsibilitiesLeadership & Staff Oversight:Serves as the shift Team Leader, providing daily oversight, guidance, and clinical expertise to assigned nursing staff.Models best practices, provides ongoing performance feedback, and assists management with hiring, goal-setting, retention strategies, and performance evaluations.Promotes an environment prioritizing diversity, open communication, teamwork, and high-quality service.Education & Professional Development:Coordinates, designs, and implements educational initiatives, orientation programs, and competency validations for nursing staff, students, patients, and families.Serves as a clinical specialty consultant for unit-based learning, in-services, and educational materials.Clinical Care & Implementation:Role-models clinical expertise in the orthopedic med-surg population and facilitates interdisciplinary care planning.Ensures appropriate clinical care delivery, performs bedside point-of-care testing as required, and anticipates patient/family discharge and learning needs.Assessment & Evaluation:Synthesizes complex clinical assessment data to set care priorities, evaluate patient progress, and revise care plans accordingly.Acts as a patient and family advocate, maintaining high standards of care aligned with facility policies and procedures.Planning & Operational Efficiency:Ensures adequate staffing levels and appropriate skill mix for assigned and upcoming shifts.Collaborates with management to meet budgetary goals, manage supplies and equipment efficiently, and maintain regulatory standards.Research & Quality Improvement:Leads and supports performance improvement initiatives focused on quality of care and patient safety.Integrates research-based best practice standards into clinical workflows and shares knowledge through presentations or internal publications.Qualifications & RequirementsEducation: Graduate of an accredited nursing program. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.Licensure: Active Registered Nurse (RN) License.Certifications:Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) required.Professional certification relevant to the practice area (on the ANCC Magnet-approved list) required within the probationary employment period.Experience: Minimum of one (1) year of clinical experience as a licensed RN.Core Competencies & SkillsClinical & Communication Skills: Ability to analyze clinical data, maintain accurate documentation, and effectively communicate with patients, families, physicians, and multidisciplinary staff.Analytical & Critical Thinking: Strong reasoning skills to define complex clinical problems, establish facts, interpret technical instructions, and draw valid conclusions.Basic Practical Math: Competency in applying concepts such as ratios, percentages, fractions, and proportions to clinical situations.