Job Description

Nursing Excellence Program Administrator

Location: Fort Wayne, IN
Start Date: January 2027

The Nursing Excellence Program Administrator will lead the development, implementation, and sustainment of nursing excellence initiatives for IU Health's new Fort Wayne hospital opening in May 2027. This role is responsible for establishing Professional Governance structures, supporting evidence-based practice, nursing research, quality improvement, and innovation, and advancing Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence readiness and designation efforts.

Working collaboratively with nursing leaders, frontline staff, educators, and interdisciplinary partners, the administrator will build the foundation for a culture of professional nursing excellence, shared decision-making, and exemplary patient outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and ongoing oversight of the Nursing Excellence Program, including Professional Governance, evidence-based practice, and Magnet® initiatives.
• Establish and support shared decision-making structures that promote nurse engagement, accountability, and professional practice excellence.
• Collaborate with nursing and operational leaders to align nursing excellence strategies with organizational goals related to quality, safety, patient experience, and workforce engagement.
• Partner with Nurse Scientists and clinical leaders to promote evidence-based practice, nursing research, quality improvement, and innovation.
• Coordinate Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence documentation, education, and readiness activities, serving as a resource on nursing excellence standards and best practices.
• Monitor, analyze, and communicate nursing excellence metrics and outcomes to support continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Provide education, consultation, and coaching to leaders and staff on Professional Governance, Magnet®, and evidence-based practice principles.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelors of Nursing (BSN).
• Requires an active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of Indiana or an active Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) RN license.
• Masters degree in Nursing preferred. Requires 5 years clinical experience in inpatient clinical settings.
• Requires experience in Magnet coordination.
• Requires experience in project management.
• Requires experience in publication and/or programmatic application writing skills.
• Previous professional publication and presentation skills at national level preferred.
• Requires excellent communication skills for a variety of different roles and leaders.
• Requires experience in or ability to use computerized databases.

This is a unique opportunity to help establish the professional nursing practice environment and nursing excellence framework for IU Health's newest hospital from the ground up.

• Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
• IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
• A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
• With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
• At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
• Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.