Chief Nursing Officer

Medical University of South Carolina•Orangeburg, SC

About The Position

MUSC Health – Orangeburg is seeking an experienced, visionary Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) to lead nursing operations across a diverse and growing regional health system. As the senior nursing executive, the CNO will provide strategic leadership, operational direction, and clinical oversight to ensure exceptional patient care, nursing excellence, and a strong culture of safety throughout the organization. The CNO will also serve as a vital bridge between administrative leaders and frontline nursing teams, ensuring clear communication, alignment, and operational efficiency throughout the system. In collaboration with hospital and system leaders the CNO will drive performance, strengthen clinical quality, and enhance the patient experience. The ideal candidate is an inclusive, inspiring, and innovative leader—one who excels at relationship building, strategic thinking, and implementing contemporary, system‑wide process improvement initiatives. MUSC Health's Orangeburg location originated in 1919 and has grown into a 286-bed acute care hospital supported by 89 providers, over 1,400 employees, 22 medical practices, and 25 dedicated volunteers This rich legacy provides a strong foundation for a nursing leader committed to advancing clinical excellence while preserving community‑centered values. As part of MUSC Health, South Carolina’s leading academic health system, the CNO benefits from advanced clinical expertise, system-wide nursing leadership collaboration, access to innovation, technology, and evidence-based best practices. This allows the CNO to make meaningful, system-supported improvements that positively impact patients, staff, and community health outcomes. For a collaborative, strategic, people-centered leader, this is a rare opportunity to make a profound and lasting impact on a community—and to guide a nursing team that is deeply committed to compassionate, high-quality care.

Requirements

Possess a current RN licensure as required by state regulations.
Hold BLS certification (ACLS preferred).
Possess a master's degree in nursing or related field.
Five years of experience in an inpatient hospital setting (preferred, but not required)
Extensive experience in managing nurses, APPs (preferred, but not required)
Strong interpersonal skills required to coordinate the activities of diverse groups of professionals directed at achieving a common objective.
Outstanding oral and written communications skills.
Ability to think strategically, develop vision and execute for results.
Ability to develop strong internal and external relationships with medical staff and community.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize effectively.

Responsibilities

Leading with vision: Leads Nursing by managing vision, goals, and strategy by demonstrating initiative and innovation, and by motivating and empowering staff. Creates a vision that positions Nursing for competitive advantage in the face of market and patient care developments
Devises ambitious, but realistic, strategies and plans for attaining the MUSC Health vision
Aligns nursing strategic plan with organization and system strategic plans.
Articulates a future direction for MUSC Health Orangeburg, that is understood by staff and aligned with the vision of MUSC Health vision
Stays current with market, technology, environmental and policy developments that may affect Nursing
Modifies strategies, policies and plans in anticipation of industry or organizational changes
Develops patient care initiatives with an emphasis on improvement in quality outcomes, service operations and cost
Establishes plan for the provision of patient care that describes how patients’ nursing care needs are assessed, met and evaluated
Encourages, fosters and leads research in the field of Nursing.
Proactively assesses the implications of industry trends for Nursing
Articulates rationale for organizational goals, strategies and policies
Recognizes and rewards achievement
Participates with the governing body, management, medical staff, and clinical leaders in the organization’s decision-making structures and processes
Customer Focused: Provides customer focused leadership, demonstrating accountability and a strong service orientation. Strengthens quality, service to patients and financial performance, ensuring an effective match between patient needs and nurse competencies
Ensures that all nursing staff have clear goals and performance standards with measurable outcomes
Holds staff responsible for meeting agreed upon commitments
Actively monitors key performance indicators (clinical, financial, operational) takes steps to improve quality of service and care and decreases costs
Assesses and often anticipates, customers’ needs
Holds self and others accountable for meeting or exceeding customer needs and expectations
Seizes opportunities for improving patient experience
Serves as a key contact for patient care inquiries/concerns
Frequently rounds on patient care units across all shifts
Results-Oriented: Develops solutions to complex problems that reflect a thorough understanding of the underlying issues
Approves nursing policies, procedures and standards of nursing practice according to evidence-based practice in collaboration with CNO peers across MUSC Health divisions.
Assures ongoing regulatory compliance (TJC, DHEC, etc.) and an environment that promotes patient safety
Maintains Magnet designation and a professional environment that supports staff in the use of evidence to guide and support nursing practice
Incorporates discussion of patient service and clinical quality values into business decision- making
Develops goals and expectations for quality, service and finance to position the organization for success oriented leadership, constructive thinking, financial acumen, process management and prioritization/delegation skills
Recommends and supports solutions that reconcile the organization’s financial goals with its overall mission
Determines the short and long-term financial impact of organization and nursing initiatives
Actively manages the key drivers of financial performance (e.g. capacity utilization, staffing levels, productivity, employee vacancies/agency utilization, inventory levels, purchases etc.)
Assumes responsibility for Nursing budget process, the allocation of nursing resources and overall financial performance
Analyzes critical financial issues (e.g. impact on reimbursement, return on investment) at stake when making business decisions
Tracks performance against established milestones
Eliminates barriers that impede progress
Regularly reviews own workload to prioritize issues of greatest importance to the organization and delegates responsibilities for issues that can be effectively handled by others
Clearly communicates priorities to other in the organization
Allocates human financial resources and reallocates resources quickly when necessary
Develops talent: Identifies and recruits talent as well as develops and retains talent.
Identifies critical staff competencies required to meet Nursing and organizational goals
Assembles team with complementary skills
Recruits talented people with the required competencies for key roles in the organization
Leverages individuals’ skills and ensures staff have access to professional development opportunities
Provides administrative and functional supervision of designated staff
Embraces the imperative of a healthy work environment, authentically lives it and engage others in its achievement
Creates environment to professionally develop individuals to understand their potential
Communication: Demonstrates effective communication and interpersonal skills
Expresses ideas clearly, succinctly, and logically
Responds constructively to issues and concerns
Informs others about pertinent issues in a timely manner
Seeks input from others when developing solutions to complex problems
Regularly updates leaders and SLT ELC on project progress including identification of potential problems
Serves as articulate spokesperson for Nursing
Establishes both formal and informal communication structures and processes to ensure effective information sharing within nursing and across organizational disciplines.
Teamwork: Builds, leads, and foster teams and manages conflict
Breaks down barriers and encourages the development of collaborative relationships across teams, departments and functions in the organization.
Maintains constructive relationships with individuals who views may differ
Demonstrates respect for others
Shares own time and resources generously to help others succeed
Explains rationale for decisions to those affected by them
Takes the needs and interests of others into account when developing a course of action
Anticipates and addresses concerns that key stakeholder groups will have about new policy or initiatives
Provides leadership in the interdisciplinary development of patient care standards and the analysis of patient care outcomes
Articulates clearly and persuasively how proposed policies or initiatives will benefit others
Convinces others to make sacrifices by appealing to their commitment to a larger purpose
Makes concession to secure agreements without compromising the organization’s core objectives or values
Is direct and assertive as well as diplomatic
Forges partnerships and agreements
Surfaces and diffuses potential sources of conflict before they escalate
Attends and contributes to interdisciplinary meetings
Actively participates in executive level and medical staff committees
Collaborates with other business unit CNO’s through formal and informal means
Serves as representative of MUSC Health Orangeburg Hospital
Provides proactive leadership in the relationship with the MUSC College of Nursing
Establishes and maintains relationships with other providers of higher education including other colleges and schools of nursing
Represents the health system in professional/civic activities with the University, locally, statewide and nationally
Maintains active membership in professional organizations