Director of Nursing- Nursing Excellence

Marketing Statement

Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center is one of New York City’s premier acute care hospitals. Located in Downtown Bronx, Lincoln is a teaching hospital renowned for its Centers of Excellence, and a recognized industry leader in the implementation of state-of-the art medical technology and best practices. Our team of highly trained and caring medical professionals is dedicated to providing the highest quality health care that is safe, compassionate, culturally competent and patient-centered. Comprehensive services are offered in three major primary care areas: Medicine, Pediatrics, and Women’s Health in addition to more than eighty (80) specialty services. At Lincoln, the safety and comfort of our patients is our number one priority.

At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.

Duties & Responsibilities

Under the direction and supervision of the Chief Nursing Officer, the Director of Nursing, provides strategic oversight and operational leadership for the organizations pursuit to Nursing Excellence. This Director plans and directs all aspects of the Nursing Excellence Program. This role ensures all nursing excellence initiatives align with the Magnet Model® and Pathway Standards®, and fosters a culture of empowerment, evidence-based practice, and exceptional patient care. The Director leads efforts to advance professional nursing practice, elevate nursing culture, support professional governance, improve outcomes, and embed principles of excellence across the continuum of care.

The Nursing Excellence program includes all organizational designations of excellence including but not limited to Magnet and Pathway to Excellence designation, Beacon, Lantern and Prism.

• Develops, establishes, and implements the philosophy, objectives, policies, and standards of nursing practice in the respective areas of responsibility.
• Organizes the service or department to delineate authority, functional responsibilities, and lines of communication.
• Coordinates functions of nursing services with other disciplines; collaborates with administrative staff, other departmental staff, and representatives of allied groups in planning patient care services.
• Serve as the organization’s Magnet Program Director (MPD)/ Pathway to Excellence program Director and main liaison with ANCC Magnet/ Pathway Recognition Program staff.
• Direct development of the Magnet /Pathway strategic plan and ensure alignment with the ANCC Model components.
• Lead the creation, submission, and management of all documentation including Sources of Evidence and empirical outcome requirements.
• Oversee Professional governance councils, workgroups, and shared governance structures supporting Magnet/ Pathway to excellence designation.
• Coordinate all activities related to designation and re-designation, including staff readiness and site visit preparation.
• Champion a culture grounded in professional governance, empowerment, and nursing autonomy.
• Partner with leadership to enhance workplace safety, well-being, recognition, and communication aligned with Pathway and Magnet principles.
• Lead policies and practice changes that reinforce nursing professional development, interprofessional collaboration, and workforce well-being.
• Direct measurement, tracking, and reporting of nursing-sensitive quality indicators and outcome metrics required for Magnet and Pathway programs.
• Collaborate with quality teams to ensure strong empirical outcomes and evidence-driven performance improvement initiatives.
• Incorporate national benchmarks and standards into nursing excellence strategies.
• Advance EBP capacity and nursing research infrastructure across all units.
• Mentor nurses in EBP, research, innovation, and quality improvement projects that support Magnet and Pathway requirements.
• Foster scholarly dissemination through publications, conference presentations, and internal sharing.
• Serve as advisor to the CNO and executive nursing leadership regarding Magnet, Pathway, nursing excellence initiatives, and workforce culture.
• Facilitate ongoing communication and education regarding Nursing Excellence standards throughout the organization.
• Build collaborative relationships across nursing, medicine, HR, quality, and support services to ensure alignment and integration of excellence initiatives.
• Assists the departments in the development of policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, and standards using evidenced-based research and literature.
• Integrates evidenced-based outcomes and current literature in nursing practice.
• Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of new programs related to Nursing Excellence.
• Responsible and accountable for monitoring, evaluating, and developing plans of correction for all aspects related to Nursing Excellence document submission.
• Responsible and accountable for setting goals and targets to meet all patient care, staff, departmental and organizational goals, objectives, and strategic priorities.
• Responsible and accountable for ensuring staff have the necessary resources related to Nursing Excellence.
• Responsible and accountable for staff engagement to support the strategic priorities of nursing, the department, and the organization.
• Ensures staff have the appropriate education and competencies that are relevant to the practice.
• Role models and ensures all staff adhere to the ICARE principles of the organization.
• Ensures ongoing performance appraisal, competency development and validation of staff.
• Sets high expectations for all staff, and ensures all staff are accountable and responsible for meeting the needs of the patient, department and organization.
• Provides counseling to nursing staff regarding adherence to all expectations of their role.
• Participates in ongoing review of all personnel, OTPS and capital budgets and exercises fiscal responsibility through the development of proactive action plans.
• Develops, evaluates and monitors budget allocations in collaboration with Finance and provides justification for increases in resource allocations and or variances.
• Plans and designs staffing models that are consistent with budgetary constraints and resources while meeting the needs of the department.
• Projects budgetary needs and modifications for subsequent fiscal year based on patient census and/or projected new programs.
• Ensures a safe and secure environment free of hazards to reduce risk of injury to all customers. (Patients, visitors and staff)
• Conducts risk assessments to reduce adverse events.
• Addresses all safety management issues accordingly.
• Effectively utilizes the electronic as well as the paper medical record.
• Participates in abstract writing for poster presentations in the area of specialty and other areas relevant to the service.
• Ensures that JCAHO, CMS, DOH and other regulatory agency standards regarding the assessment of patients and other generic standards are implemented and in compliance.

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed and currently registered to practice as a Professional Nurse in New York State; and,
• A Master's Degree in Nursing Administration or an equivalent field, and a minimum of four years of high-level responsible experience in nursing administration, three years of which shall have been in a hospital; or,
• A satisfactory equivalent. However, all candidates must be licensed and currently registered to practice as a Professional Nurse in New York State.

Department Preferences

Doctoral degree (DNP or PhD).

Experience leading Magnet and/or Pathway programs designation.

Leadership or professional development certification (NE-BC, NEA-BC, NPD-BC).

Experience in nursing research, EBP methodologies, or healthy work environment initiatives.

Demonstrated experience with Magnet, Pathway, nursing quality, shared governance, or professional practice frameworks.

How To Apply

If you wish to apply for this position, please apply online by clicking the "Apply for Job" button.