Chief Nursing Officer in Rochester, New York at St Johns Health Care Corporation

Position Summary

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) serves as the senior clinical nursing executive for St. John's skilled nursing facility and provides strategic and operational oversight of nursing practice, resident care, clinical quality, regulatory readiness, and clinical workforce performance. Reporting to the Vice President of Skilled Services, the CNO establishes clinical standards and accountability systems that support safe, high-quality, elder-directed care and sustained regulatory compliance.

The CNO partners closely with facility operations, medical leadership, quality, MDS, infection prevention, rehabilitation, social work, pharmacy, education, Human Resources, Employee Health, and other interdisciplinary leaders. The role is expected to build leadership capability, strengthen clinical systems, use data to drive improvement, and maintain a culture of continuous survey readiness and accountability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provide executive clinical oversight for nursing services and establish standards for nursing practice, resident care, documentation, clinical decision-making, and escalation of clinical risk.

Lead and mentor the nursing leadership structure, including the Director of Nursing and other nursing leaders, establishing clear expectations, accountability, succession planning, and leadership development.

Partner with the Vice President of Skilled Services and facility leadership to develop and execute clinical strategy aligned with organizational priorities, elder-directed care, quality outcomes, workforce stability, and responsible operations.

Ensure nursing practice and clinical operations are aligned with applicable federal and New York State requirements, professional standards, organizational policies, and accepted standards of care.

Maintain a state of continuous survey readiness; provide senior clinical leadership before, during, and after CMS and New York State Department of Health surveys and support development, implementation, and monitoring of plans of correction when required.

Provide leadership for Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI), partnering with Quality and interdisciplinary leaders to identify trends, establish improvement priorities, monitor interventions, and sustain gains.

Use clinical dashboards and performance data to monitor quality measures and high-risk areas such as avoidable hospital transfers, falls, pressure injuries, infections, medication management, changes in condition, weight loss, and other resident outcome indicators.

Promote consistent clinical assessment, care planning, documentation, change-in-condition management, physician/provider communication, and interdisciplinary follow-through.

Partner with MDS and reimbursement leaders to support accurate clinical documentation, resident assessment processes, and coordination between care delivery and reimbursement requirements while maintaining clinical integrity.

Provide executive oversight and support for infection prevention and control practices, antibiotic stewardship, outbreak response, employee/resident safety interfaces, and related clinical education.

Ensure policies, procedures, clinical protocols, audit tools, and standards of care are current, implemented consistently, and monitored for effectiveness.

Identify clinical education and competency needs and partner with education leaders to implement orientation, annual education, competency validation, and targeted remediation for nursing staff.

Partner with Human Resources and nursing leaders on recruitment, onboarding, retention, staffing strategy, performance management, and succession planning to build a stable and capable nursing workforce.

Evaluate nursing staffing patterns and clinical deployment in relation to resident acuity, quality, regulatory requirements, operational needs, and workforce sustainability.

Lead review of significant clinical events and trends, ensuring appropriate investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, follow-up, and organizational learning.

Collaborate with the Medical Director, attending providers, pharmacy, rehabilitation, social work, dietary, and other disciplines to strengthen clinical coordination and resident outcomes.

Support effective use and optimization of the electronic health record and other clinical systems, including PointClickCare or equivalent platforms, to improve documentation, workflow, data visibility, and clinical decision-making.

Prepare and present clinical performance, quality, risk, staffing, and improvement updates to executive leadership and appropriate quality or governance committees.

Participate in strategic planning, budgeting, resource prioritization, and clinical technology or capital decisions that affect nursing services and resident care.

Serve as a visible clinical leader and model St. John's expectations for professionalism, collaboration, accountability, communication, respect, and elder-directed care.

Perform other duties consistent with the scope and senior leadership responsibilities of the position.

Key Leadership Accountabilities

Clinical quality and resident outcomes

Regulatory compliance and continuous survey readiness

Nursing leadership effectiveness and succession planning

Clinical policy, practice standards, and accountability

QAPI and performance improvement

Clinical workforce stability, competency, and development

Interdisciplinary clinical coordination

Risk identification, event review, and corrective action

Data-driven performance management and executive reporting

Core Organizational Competencies - St. John’s Brand Characteristics

Embrace living by being Friendly, Respectful, Responsive, Compassionate, Innovative and Fun toward elders, families, and colleagues.

Teamwork: Actively participates, supports colleagues, keeps team members informed, welcomes elders and families, and recognizes the contributions of others.

Job Knowledge: Maintains current knowledge of nursing leadership, skilled nursing regulations, clinical practice, and emerging industry trends.

Planning and Organization: Demonstrates initiative, establishes priorities, uses resources effectively, and delivers on commitments.

Quality: Sets high standards for resident care and organizational performance and actively seeks continuous improvement.

Reliability: Follows through on commitments, responds appropriately to urgent clinical needs, and is a dependable leadership presence.

Demeanor: Leads change with professionalism and optimism, listens effectively, communicates constructively, and addresses concerns appropriately.

Position Competencies

Executive clinical judgment and strategic thinking

Ability to translate regulatory and clinical expectations into sustainable operating systems

Leadership coaching, accountability, and talent development

Quality improvement and root-cause problem solving

Clinical data interpretation and performance governance

Change leadership in a complex healthcare environment

Collaborative partnership with operational and interdisciplinary leaders

Clear communication with frontline staff, executives, residents, families, providers, regulators, and other stakeholders

Physical and Environmental Requirements

The position requires regular walking throughout a skilled nursing environment as well as periods of sitting, standing, and computer work. The CNO must be able to respond to clinical and operational needs throughout the facility and may occasionally work outside normal business hours based on resident, regulatory, or organizational needs. Work in a healthcare environment may involve potential exposure to communicable illness and psycho-behavioral situations. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

Disclaimer

This job description summarizes the general nature and level of work expected of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, qualifications, or working conditions. Responsibilities may change based on organizational needs and applicable regulatory requirements.

Qualifications and Education

Current, unencumbered New York State Registered Professional Nurse (RN) license required.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required; Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Healthcare Administration, Nursing Administration, Business Administration, or a related graduate degree strongly preferred.

Minimum of 8 years of progressive nursing leadership experience, with substantial leadership experience in skilled nursing, long-term care, post-acute care, or a comparably regulated healthcare environment strongly preferred.

Demonstrated experience leading nursing operations, clinical quality improvement, regulatory readiness, and nursing leaders in a complex care environment.

Strong working knowledge of CMS requirements, New York State Department of Health oversight, QAPI, infection prevention, quality measures, and long-term care clinical operations.

Demonstrated ability to analyze clinical and workforce data, identify risk and performance trends, establish priorities, and drive measurable improvement.

Experience with PointClickCare or a comparable electronic health record preferred.

Exceptional leadership, communication, change-management, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.