Chief CRNA I

Job Summary:

Manages nurse anesthetist services and operations by leading recruitment and retention efforts, developing and implementing staffing models, work schedules, and clinical workflows, fostering collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, implementing protocols and performance standards, assisting with budget planning, and promoting professional development. Provides and manages safe and effective anesthesia care by delivering anesthesia services across all phases of care, developing and implementing individualized care plans, providing clinical expertise and leadership for high-risk and emergency cases, communicating anesthesia plans and risks to patients and families, and modeling culturally competent, patient-centered care. Leads documentation and continuous improvement efforts by ensuring accurate and comprehensive anesthesia records, designing survey and compliance readiness activities and related procedures, evaluating and integrating new anesthesia technologies, and reviewing patient care data to recommend improvements in clinical workflows. Supports regulatory compliance and quality improvement by collaborating with leadership to ensure adherence to institutional policies, regulations, and national standards, identifying and implementing evidence-based protocols and safety measures, developing quality assurance initiatives, participating in peer review, and managing the professional development of anesthesia staff through training, continuing education, case discussions, and, as applicable, coordination of clinical rotations for anesthesia students.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provides developmental opportunities for others; builds collaborative, cross-functional relationships.
• Solicits and acts on performance feedback; works closely with employees to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to drive performance improvement.
• Pursues professional growth; develops and provides training and development to talent for growth opportunities; supports execution of performance management guidelines and expectations.
• Leads, adapts, implements, and stays up to date with organizational change, challenges, feedback, best practices, processes, and industry trends.
• Fosters open dialogue amongst team members, engages, motivates, and promotes collaboration within and across teams.
• Delegates tasks and decisions as appropriate; provides appropriate support, guidance, and scope; encourages development and consideration of options in decision making.
• Manages designated work unit or team by translating business plans into tactical action items; oversees the completion of work assignments and identifies opportunities for improvement; ensures all policies and procedures are followed.
• Aligns team efforts; builds accountability for and measuring progress in achieving results; determines and ensures processes and methodologies are implemented; resolves escalated issues as appropriate; sets standards and measures progress.
• Fosters the development of work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; obtains and distributes resources.
• Removes obstacles that impact performance; identifies and addresses improvement opportunities; guides performance and develops contingency plans accordingly; influences teams to execute in alignment with operational objectives.
• Provides and manages safe and effective anesthesia care by: providing anesthesia services and monitoring patients across all phases of care, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases; developing and implementing individualized care plans based on patient medical history, surgical requirements, and risk factors; providing clinical expertise and leadership in managing high-risk patients, emergency situations, and challenging anesthetic procedures; communicating anesthesia plans, risks, and postoperative expectations to patients and families; and modeling culturally competent and patient-centered care to foster an inclusive environment that meets the needs of diverse patient populations.
• Supports regulatory compliance and quality improvement efforts by: collaborating with department leadership to ensure adherence to institutional policies, state regulations, and national standards (e.g., American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), The Joint Commission (TJC)) to ensure safe and effective anesthesia care; identifying and implementing evidence-based protocols, safety checklists, and infection control measures to minimize risks; developing quality assurance initiatives, including case reviews and audits, to improve patient safety, care outcomes, and procedural consistency; and participating in peer review.
• Leads documentation and continuous improvement efforts by: ensuring accurate, timely, and comprehensive anesthesia records to support patient safety and care continuity; designing survey and compliance readiness activities and developing procedures for preparing audit documentation, information, and reports; evaluating and integrating new anesthesia technologies and innovations to enhance patient care and operational efficiency; and reviewing patient care data, including outcomes, satisfaction scores, and complication rates, to recommend improvements in clinical workflows.
• Manages nurse anesthetist services and operations by: leading the recruitment, onboarding, and retention of anesthetist team members; developing and implementing staffing models, work schedules, and clinical workflows to ensure optimal patient care and operational efficiency; fostering collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, and nursing staff, to coordinate care and address patient needs; implementing and supporting the development of protocols, guidelines, and performance standards to promote consistency in care delivery and adherence to evidence-based practices; assisting in budget planning and resource allocation to support financial performance and quality care strategies; and promoting professional development through mentorship and performance feedback for the team.
• Manages the professional development of anesthesia staff by: mentoring, training, and identifying and providing access to continuing education opportunities; encouraging participation in case discussions to foster a culture of learning and continuous improvement; and may include coordinating clinical rotations for anesthesia students from accredited programs.