Assistant Nurse Manager in East Orange, New Jersey at CareWell Health

Assistant Nurse Manager

Job Summary

The Assistant Nurse Manager (ANM) – Critical Care Services is responsible for assisting in the coordination, oversight, and evaluation of nursing and clinical operations within the critical care environment. This role supports the Nurse Manager in ensuring the delivery of safe, evidence-based, high-quality, and patient-centered care across the assigned Nursing departments.

In collaboration with physicians, nursing leadership, and the interdisciplinary team, the ANM assists in identifying at-risk patients, coordinating care plans, and ensuring optimal patient outcomes. This role actively contributes to quality improvement initiatives, performance metrics, regulatory compliance, and patient experience outcomes through data collection, analysis, and process improvement.

The ANM maintains a professional presence, mentors staff, promotes accountability, and fosters a culture of safety, respect, and confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and organizational standards.

This position also supports the Nurse Manager’s operational leadership functions including staffing coordination, payroll validation, scheduling oversight, chart quality review, staff counseling, policy development, interview participation, and patient experience initiatives.

Essential Functions

Clinical Leadership & Patient Care Coordination

• Delegates and coordinates patient care activities at the unit level to ensure safe and effective care delivery aligned with patient acuity and plan of care.
• Prioritizes clinical workflow and supports daily operations, including facilitation of interdisciplinary rounds and length-of-stay/discharge planning meetings.
• Assists in developing and implementing individualized, evidence-based, patient-centered plans of care in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team.
• Serves as a clinical resource, role model, and mentor to nursing staff in critical care practice standards and decision-making.

Quality, Safety & Performance Improvement

• Monitors, evaluates, and supports improvement of clinical outcomes through participation in performance improvement (PI) initiatives, audits, and compliance activities.
• Collaborates with Nurse Manager and CNO to ensure adherence to regulatory standards, National Patient Safety Goals, and hospital policies.
• Supports data collection, analysis, and reporting for quality indicators including infection prevention, patient safety events, and core measures.
• Leads and supports departmental initiatives to improve patient experience scores and service excellence outcomes.

Operational & Administrative Support

• Assists Nurse Manager with daily operational management including staffing coordination, scheduling, and assignment adjustments based on acuity and staffing needs.
• Supports payroll review and validation to ensure accuracy and compliance with organizational policies.
• Participates in chart audits, documentation quality reviews, and compliance monitoring.
• Assists in policy and procedure development, revision, and implementation in alignment with regulatory and evidence-based standards.

Staff Development, Leadership & Human Resources Support

• Participates in staff orientation, onboarding, competency validation, and ongoing staff education initiatives.
• Conducts or participates in staff performance evaluations, counseling sessions, and corrective action processes in collaboration with the Nurse Manager.
• Participates in recruitment and hiring processes, including interviews and candidate evaluation alongside Nurse Manager.
• Promotes professional development, teamwork, accountability, and a positive work environment.

Patient Experience & Service Excellence

• Leads and supports departmental patient experience initiatives aimed at improving communication, responsiveness, and overall patient satisfaction.
• Models and reinforces behaviors aligned with service excellence standards and patient-centered care.
• Addresses patient and family concerns in real time and escalates issues appropriately to leadership when needed.

Regulatory, Compliance & Committee Participation

• Ensures adherence to HIPAA, hospital policies, CMS regulations, Joint Commission standards, and state/federal guidelines.
• Participates in departmental and organizational committees, special projects, and shared governance activities.
• Supports continuous readiness efforts for regulatory surveys and audits.

Other Duties

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or activities required. Duties may change at any time with or without notice based on departmental and organizational needs.

Minimum Education/Certifications
Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing required

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred

Current Registered Nurse license in the State of New Jersey required

Current American Heart Association certification required:

• BLS required
• PALS required
• ACLS required (Critical Care requirement)

Minimum Work Experience
Minimum of 2–3 years of hospital nursing experience required

Minimum 1 year of charge nurse or supervisory experience preferred

Critical care (ICU/step-down/ED) experience strongly preferred

2 years or more experience in hospital setting preferred.

One year of nursing experience preferred

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

Full-time, exempt position

Monday through Friday schedule with occasional weekends, holidays, and off-shift coverage as required by departmental needs