Location: Nashville, Tennessee area
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Compensation: Competitive and based on experience
Position Overview
Protegra Healthcare Staffing is recruiting an experienced and highly motivated Director of Nursing for the Intensive Care Unit for one of our healthcare clients in the Nashville, Tennessee area.
The Director of Nursing – ICU will provide strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for the intensive care nursing team. This leader will be responsible for maintaining high standards of patient care, supporting and developing nursing staff, managing departmental operations, and advancing quality and patient-safety initiatives.
The ideal candidate is an accomplished critical care nurse leader who can balance clinical excellence, staff engagement, regulatory compliance, and operational performance in a fast-paced hospital environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide clinical and operational leadership for the Intensive Care Unit.
- Establish and maintain standards of nursing practice consistent with organizational policies and evidence-based critical care guidelines.
- Oversee daily ICU operations, staffing, scheduling, patient flow, and resource allocation.
- Recruit, onboard, mentor, evaluate, and retain qualified nursing professionals.
- Promote staff development, continuing education, succession planning, and leadership growth.
- Monitor patient-care quality, safety indicators, clinical outcomes, and patient experience.
- Lead performance-improvement initiatives designed to strengthen care delivery and operational efficiency.
- Ensure compliance with hospital policies and applicable federal, state, accreditation, and regulatory requirements.
- Collaborate with physicians, nursing leadership, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, case management, and other interdisciplinary partners.
- Review departmental performance data and develop corrective action plans when necessary.
- Participate in budgeting, productivity management, supply utilization, and financial planning.
- Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and patient-centered care.
- Address staff concerns, patient-care escalations, and operational challenges in a timely and effective manner.
- Support emergency preparedness and maintain readiness for regulatory and accreditation surveys.
- Represent the ICU on hospital committees and leadership initiatives.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited institution required.
- Master’s degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
- Current and unrestricted Registered Nurse license in Tennessee or eligibility to obtain one.
- Progressive nursing leadership experience in an acute-care hospital setting.
- Significant clinical experience in critical care or intensive care nursing.
- Previous experience managing ICU personnel, operations, quality outcomes, and departmental performance strongly preferred.
- Current BLS and ACLS certifications.
- CCRN or nurse executive certification preferred.
- Knowledge of regulatory standards, patient-safety practices, quality improvement, and nursing operations.
- Strong communication, conflict-resolution, decision-making, and team-development skills.
- Ability to lead effectively in a complex and fast-paced clinical environment.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong knowledge of critical care nursing and ICU operations
- A collaborative and visible leadership style
- The ability to improve staff engagement and retention
- Experience using clinical and operational data to improve outcomes
- Sound judgment during high-acuity and emergency situations
- A commitment to nursing excellence, patient safety, and compassionate care
- The ability to build productive relationships across multiple departments and disciplines
Apply Today
Experienced nursing leaders interested in this Director of Nursing – ICU opportunity in the Nashville area are encouraged to submit a résumé to Protegra Healthcare Staffing for confidential consideration.
Protegra Healthcare Staffing
Trusted Healthcare Staffing—On Demand, When You Need It Most.
Protegra Healthcare Staffing is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.