Nurse Manager – One Day Stay, PACU, & Cardiac Catheterization Lab in Waterbury, Connecticut at Waterbury Hospital

position summary

The Nurse Manager is responsible for the overall clinical, operational, financial, and regulatory oversight of the One Day Stay (ODS), Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and Cardiac Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab).the Nurse Manager provides leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, efficient, high-quality patient care across the continuum of procedural services while promoting exceptional patient outcomes, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, physician collaboration, and employee engagement. This leader serves as a highly visible presence within the departments and is accountable for staffing, throughput, quality improvement, budget management, patient experience, and achieving departmental and organizational goals.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational Leadership

• Direct the daily operations of ODS, PACU and Cath Lab
• Ensure efficient patient throughput from pre-procedure evaluation through recovery and discharge
• Coordinate staffing based on patient volume, acuity, procedural schedules, and emergency cases
• Conduct daily operational huddles and participate in hospital throughput and capacity management
• Collaborate with physicians, anesthesia, nursing leadership, emergency services, intensive care, diagnostic imaging, and inpatient units to optimize patient flow
• Maintain operational readiness for scheduled, urgent, and emergent procedures

Clinical Leadership

• Ensure evidence-based nursing practice across all assigned departments
• Promote safe patient care throughout the peri-procedural continuum
• Ensure appropriate pre-procedure assessments, patient preparation, recovery, discharge readiness, and post-procedure follow-up
• Oversee sedation recovery practices and monitoring standards
• Support cardiovascular procedural services, including emergency STEMI response and after-hours call operations
• Ensure compliance with all patient identification, medication safety, specimen management, and procedural verification standards

Staff Leadership

• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and retain qualified staff
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching and mentoring
• Address employee relations issues promptly and consistently
• Ensure staff competency validation, annual education, and continuing professional development
• Foster teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and employee engagement
• Promote professional development and specialty certification

Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain continuous survey readiness
• Ensure policies and procedures remain current and evidence based
• Ensure compliance with:
  • Joint Commission
  • CMS
  • DPH
  • OSHA
  • AHA/ACC recommendations for cardiovascular care
  • ASPAN standards for PACU
• Participate in regulatory inspections and corrective action planning

Financial Stewardship

• Monitor productivity, labor expenses, overtime, agency utilization, and premium pay
• Manage departmental operating budget
• Evaluate supply utilization and identify cost-saving opportunities
• Participate in capital equipment planning and business case development
• Monitor vendor performance and product standardization initiatives

Physician Relations

• Build collaborative relationships with cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesia providers, and proceduralists
• Address physician concerns while maintaining patient safety and organizational standards
• Partner with physician leadership to improve efficiency, scheduling, block utilization, and patient experience

Emergency Preparedness

• Participate in emergency management, disaster preparedness, mass casualty planning, and bioterrorism response activities
• Ensure departmental readiness for emergency operations

qualifications

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required
• Master’s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, or related field preferred

Licensure

• Current CT Registered Nurse license
• BLS required
• ACLS preferred
• CPAN, or CCRN preferred

Experience

• Previous leadership experience as Charge Nurse, Assistant Nurse Manager, or Nurse Manager preferred
• Experience in perioperative services, PACU, critical care, emergency services, cardiac catheterization or procedural nursing preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing staff, budgets, quality initiatives, and physician relationships

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of perianesthesia nursing standards, ambulatory surgery, procedural services, and cardiovascular care
• Strong understanding of patient flow, throughput management, and operational efficiency
• Knowledge of regulatory and accreditation requirements
• Strong leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and coaching skills
• Ability to analyze data and improve operational performance
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Proficiency with electronic medical records and Microsoft Office applications

Physical Requirements

• Frequent standing, walking, bending, and lifting up to 25 pounds
• Ability to respond quickly during emergency situations
• Visual acuity and manual dexterity required for clinical oversight