Lead Registered Nurse

Required Skills & Experience

• Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the applicable state or compact.
• Current BLS certification.
• 5+ years of RN experience, preferably within an ambulatory, outpatient, orthopedic, pain management, PM&R, surgical, or similar setting.
• Previous clinical leadership experience, either formal or demonstrated informal leadership.
• Strong patient assessment, triage, care coordination, and clinical decision-making skills.
• Experience working within an electronic medical record system.

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

EPIC experience

Job Description

The Ambulatory Lead Registered Nurse provides clinical leadership and direct patient care within a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic specializing in Pain Management, Orthopedics, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). The Lead RN serves as a working clinical leader, supporting daily clinic operations, coordinating patient care, mentoring nursing and clinical support staff, and partnering closely with physicians, APPs, and clinic leadership to ensure efficient, high-quality patient care. This individual will serve as a clinical resource and escalation point for the team while helping drive patient flow, staff coordination, clinical quality, and an excellent patient experience. This aligns with the working-leader model used in your prior

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership & Patient Care

• Serve as the clinical lead and day-to-day resource for RNs, LPNs, medical assistants, and other clinical support staff.
• Provide hands-on nursing care including patient assessment, triage, medication administration, patient education, and care coordination.
• Triage patients experiencing acute or worsening musculoskeletal pain, post-procedure concerns, mobility changes, neurological symptoms, or medication-related issues.
• Support providers with orthopedic, pain management, and PM&R clinic procedures and ensure appropriate pre- and post-procedure patient education.
• Coordinate follow-up care, diagnostic testing, imaging, referrals, and specialty services for patients with complex musculoskeletal and chronic pain conditions. Pain Management / Ortho / PM&R Support
• Support patients receiving treatment for acute and chronic pain, orthopedic injuries, spine conditions, rehabilitation needs, and musculoskeletal disorders.
• Assist with clinical workflows surrounding injections, wound care, post-operative visits, and other office-based procedures as appropriate.
• Reinforce provider instructions regarding medications, activity restrictions, rehabilitation plans, symptom monitoring, and follow-up care.
• Collaborate with physicians, APPs, physical/occupational therapy, imaging, pharmacy, and other specialties to facilitate continuity of care. Team Leadership & Clinic Operations
• Coordinate daily clinical workflows, staffing assignments, patient flow, and room utilization.
• Mentor and support nursing and clinical staff, including onboarding, training, competency validation, and continuing education.
• Serve as the first clinical escalation point for complex patient-care or workflow issues.
• Partner with providers and clinic leadership to identify bottlenecks and improve clinic efficiency.
• Support implementation of new clinical workflows, policies, procedures, and quality initiatives. Quality, Safety & Documentation
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation within the electronic medical record.
• Promote compliance with medication safety, infection prevention, clinical documentation, and organizational standards.
• Participate in quality improvement, chart review, patient safety, and patient experience initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve clinical workflows and standardize nursing practices across the clinic.