Director of Nursing Practice, Quality, & Research

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Job Type:

Regular

Scheduled Hours:

40

Why You’ll Love Working with St. Elizabeth Healthcare

At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, every role supports our mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate care to the communities we serve. For more than 160 years, St. Elizabeth Healthcare has been a trusted provider of quality care across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. We’re guided by our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve and by our values of excellence, integrity, compassion, and teamwork. Our associates are the heart of everything we do.

Benefits That Support You

We invest in you — personally and professionally.

Enjoy:

- Competitive pay and comprehensive health coverage within the first 30 days.

- Generous paid time off and flexible work schedules

- Retirement savings with employer match

- Tuition reimbursement and professional development opportunities

- Wellness, mental health, and recognition programs

- Career advancement through mentorship and internal mobility

Job Summary:

The Director of Nursing, Quality, & Practice & Research provides leadership in advancing nursing excellence through the integration of evidence-based practice (EBP), nursing research, clinical inquiry, and professional practice standards across the organization. Serving as a leader, mentor, and role model, this position fosters a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement that supports high-quality patient care and optimal nursing outcomes. The Director is responsible for ensuring nursing practice standards are consistently implemented, evaluated, and improved throughout the system. This role leads efforts to standardize nursing practice, promote clinical consistency, and align policies, procedures, and documentation with professional standards, regulatory requirements, and accreditation expectations.

In partnership with the Magnet Program Director and nursing and interprofessional leadership, the Director Nursing Practice, Quality, & Research champions the integration of Magnet principles into daily practice by strengthening shared governance, evidence-based decision making, nursing research, quality improvement and nursing excellence.

Demonstrate respect, dignity, kindness and empathy in each encounter with all patients, families, visitors and other employees regardless of cultural background.

Job Description:

Nursing Practice

• Provides leadership for professional nursing practice across organization.
• Establishes, implements, and evaluates nursing practice standards to ensure evidence-based, safe, and high-quality patient care.
• Oversees the review, development, revision, and maintenance of nursing clinical policies, procedures, and standards of practice.
• Collaborates with nursing and patient care services, quality, patient safety, accreditation, and operational leaders to ensure practice consistency and regulatory compliance.
• Drives standardization of nursing care processes and documentation to improve patient outcomes and operational effectiveness.

Evidence-Based Practice, Research, and Scholarly Inquiry

• A. Develops, implements, and sustains the organization's nursing evidence-based practice (EBP) and research infrastructure, fosters a practice environment that supports inquiry, innovation, and the integration of evidence into clinical and operational decision-making.
• Provides consultation, mentorship, education, and resources to nurses and leaders conducting EBP, quality improvement, and nursing research projects; mentors nurses participating in research and scholarly activities.
• Oversees the SEH Nursing Research Fellowship Program, Nursing Research Council, and related research and EBP initiatives and programs (annual Nursing Inquiry Day).
• Serves as an advisor to nursing research governance structures and as a liaison/member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), as appropriate.
• Reviews nursing research proposals and supports compliance with IRB requirements, ethical standards, and regulatory guidelines to ensure scientific rigor and responsible conduct of research.
• Integrates nursing research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement activities to advance clinical practice, improve patient outcomes, and support Magnet-level policies, procedures, and professional practice standards.
• Designs, implements, and evaluates strategies that promote effective, efficient, and innovative patient care through the application and generation of nursing evidence and research.
• Facilitates the dissemination and translation of EBP and research findings through publications, presentations, posters, professional forums, and other scholarly activities, creating opportunities for professional achievement and recognition of nursing staff and leaders.

Shared Governance and Professional Practice Models

• Provides oversight and support for nursing shared governance structures and councils.

• Partners with nurse leaders and frontline staff to strengthen professional accountability, engagement, and decision-making.

• Promotes nurse participation in practice improvement, evidence-based practice, research, and innovation initiatives.

• Evaluates effectiveness of shared governance processes and implements improvements to strengthen professional practice.

Nursing Sensitive Outcomes

• Leads the evaluation and improvement of nursing-sensitive quality indicators and empirical outcomes.
• Collaborates with quality, patient safety, accreditation, and operational leaders to identify trends and implement improvement strategies.
• Utilizes internal and external benchmarking data to guide performance improvement efforts.
• Provides reports and recommendations to leadership regarding outcome performance.
• Collaborates with Patient Safety and Accreditation to enhance awareness and ensure compliance with standards of clinical practice and documentation.

Magnet and Nursing Excellence Initiatives

• Integrates Magnet principles, professional practice standards, and nursing excellence initiatives throughout the organization.
• Supports organizational readiness for Magnet designation, redesignation, and other nursing excellence programs.
• Assists with collection, analysis, and dissemination of evidence demonstrating achievement of professional practice goals.
• Partners with Magnet Program Director to promote a culture of excellence, innovation, inquiry, and professional development.
• Participates in Magnet Recognition Program activities, including participation on Magnet writing team. Oversees the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence related to nursing research and evidence-based practice; assists in the development of Magnet narratives, exemplars, and supporting documentation to demonstrate compliance with Magnet standards and achievement of nursing excellence outcomes.

Leadership/Consultation/Mentorship

• Provides consultation and mentorship to nurses, leaders, students, and interdisciplinary partners to strengthen professional growth, clinical inquiry, leadership development, and evidence-informed practice.
• Collaborates with clinical educators, nurse managers, academic partners, physicians, and interdisciplinary teams to identify professional practice needs and support implementation of approved research, EBP, and improvement initiatives.
• Serves as a resource and liaison for associates conducting nursing or interdisciplinary studies, including guidance on IRB processes, ethical considerations, and responsible research conduct.
• Leads and supports multidisciplinary teams, councils, committees, task forces, and staff-led projects when leadership consultation is needed to advance professional practice and organizational priorities.
• Maintains collaborative relationships with internal and external partners to evaluate program effectiveness, remove barriers, and support achievement of desired outcomes.
• Communicates effectively through consultation, coaching, reports, presentations, and stakeholder engagement to influence change and support adoption of evidence-informed practices.

Personal Growth & Competency

• Maintains and expands knowledge by reading, attending relevant education offerings, and participating in professional organizations.
• Writes articles to submit for publication.
• Participates in necessary training and independent learning to maintain knowledge of current Magnet standards, processes, and requirements and other regulatory requirements.
• Maintains awareness of emerging healthcare trends, regulatory changes, and evidence-based best practices.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education, Credentials, Licenses:

• Doctorate in Nursing (DNP or PhD) or related healthcare field required; if doctorate is in a non-nursing field, master’s degree in nursing required.
• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state where work is performed.

Specialized Knowledge:

• Expert knowledge of professional nursing practice standards, evidence-based practice, nursing research, quality improvement, patient safety, and nursing-sensitive outcomes.
• Strong understanding of ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® standards, professional practice frameworks, shared governance, accreditation standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of research methodologies, literature appraisal, data interpretation, IRB processes, and ethical conduct of research.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, facilitate practice standardization, manage complex projects, and drive system-wide performance improvement initiatives.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and communicate clinical, quality, and research data to diverse audiences.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, interpersonal, and collaboration skills, including the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and large workgroups.
• Proficiency in mentoring nurses and leaders in EBP, quality improvement, shared governance, nursing research, and dissemination activities.

Kind and Length of Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive clinical nursing experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of leadership experience in nursing practice, nursing quality, nursing research, professional practice, or related area.
• Demonstrated experience leading evidence-based practice, quality improvement, nursing research, professional practice, or system-wide performance improvement initiatives.
• Experience using quality metrics, nursing-sensitive indicators, and outcome data to guide improvement in practice and patient outcomes.
• Experience working within a complex healthcare system and collaborating with operational and clinical leaders across departments or facilities.

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Right Career. Right Here. If you're looking for the right careers in healthcare, the right place to be is at St. Elizabeth. Join us, and you'll take pride in the level of care we offer our community.