Nurse Manager – Operating Room (OR) & Endoscopy in Waterbury, Connecticut at Waterbury Hospital

position summary

The Nurse Manager is responsible for the overall clinical, operational, financial, and regulatory oversight of the Operating Room and Endoscopy departments. This position provides leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centered care while promoting operational efficiency, staff engagement, physician collaboration, and regulatory compliance. The Nurse Manager serves as a visible leader, mentor, and resource to nursing and support staff and partners with physicians and interdisciplinary teams to achieve departmental and organizational goals.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Operations

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the Operating Room and Endoscopy departments
• Ensure safe, efficient patient flow from pre-procedure through discharge
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels, scheduling, and daily assignments based on patient volume and acuity
• Conduct daily operational huddles and participate in throughput planning
• Manage department budgets, productivity, staffing metrics, overtime, and supply utilization
• Collaborate with anesthesia, surgeons, gastroenterologists, sterile processing, PACU, pre-admission testing, infection prevention, and other ancillary departments
• Lead service recovery efforts and resolve patient, family, physician, and staff concerns in a timely manner

Clinical Quality & Patient Safety

• Ensure compliance with AORN, SGNA, CMS, Joint Commission, DPH, OSHA, and all applicable regulatory standards
• Promote a culture of patient safety, Just Culture, and high reliability
• Monitor and improve clinical quality indicators including:
  • First case on-time starts
  • Turnover times
  • Procedure delays and cancellations
  • Surgical and procedural site infection prevention
  • Endoscopy reprocessing compliance
  • Medication safety
  • Specimen management
  • Universal Protocol and Time Out compliance
  • Investigate safety events and develop corrective action plans

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
• Identify succession planning opportunities and mentor emerging leaders

Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain continuous survey readiness
• Ensure policies and procedures remain current and evidence based
• Oversee compliance with:
  • Endoscopy reprocessing standards
  • Sterilization and infection prevention practices
  • Medication management
  • Documentation standards
  • Equipment maintenance and prevention testing
  • Environmental safety
• Participate in regulatory inspections and corrective action planning

Financial Stewardship

• Monitor labor productivity and staffing efficiency
• Manage departmental operating budget
• Reduce waste and improve supply utilization
• Participate in capital equipment planning and business case development
• Monitor vendor performance and product standardization initiatives

Physician Relations

• Build collaborative relationships with surgeons, gastroenterologists, 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
• CNOR preferred

Experience

• Previous leadership experience as Charge Nurse, Assistant Nurse Manager, or Nurse Manager preferred
• Experience in both Operating Room and Endoscopy strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing staff, budgets, quality initiatives, and physician relationships

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of perioperative nursing standards and endoscopy practice
• Familiarity with AORN and SGNA standards
• Knowledge of sterile processing principles and infection prevention
• 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