Job Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Critical Care Outcomes Manager reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Critical Care Outcomes Manager serves as the nursing process owner for Critical Care Services, supporting the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU). This role is responsible for coordinating nursing practice initiatives, supporting operational workflows, monitoring nursing-sensitive indicators, facilitating regulatory readiness, and partnering with frontline teams to improve patient care delivery across the critical care continuum. The position collaborates closely with nursing leadership, physicians, respiratory therapy, infection prevention, case management, and interdisciplinary departments to support evidence-based nursing practice, patient safety, operational efficiency, and clinical excellence.

Scope of Responsibility:

• Support of ICU and IMCU nursing operations and nursing practice initiatives.
• Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams supporting critical care services.
• Support of patient throughput, transitions of care, and nursing workflow optimization.
• Partnership with nursing leadership, operational leaders, and clinical departments.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the nursing process owner for ICU and IMCU clinical operations and nursing practice initiatives.
• Support standardization and sustainability of nursing workflows, documentation practices, and evidence-based care processes.
• Monitor and trend nursing-sensitive indicators, operational metrics, patient throughput data, and patient care outcomes.
• Coordinate regulatory readiness activities, tracers, audits, and action plan follow-up for critical care areas.
• Support frontline nursing teams through clinical rounding, workflow observation, and identification of process improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership to support patient flow, level-of-care transitions, discharge planning, and operational efficiency.
• Assist with implementation and sustainment of clinical initiatives, new workflows, equipment, and technology changes.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and tracking tools utilizing Microsoft Excel and other data management platforms.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration with respiratory therapy, pharmacy, infection prevention, physicians, rehabilitation services, and ancillary departments.
• Support review and revision of nursing policies, procedures, and practice standards.
• Assist with education and communication related to workflow changes, nursing initiatives, and operational priorities.
• Participate in councils, committees, and interdisciplinary meetings supporting critical care operations and nursing practice.
• Support data collection, documentation review, and operational reporting requirements as assigned.

Qualifications

Required:

• Current Registered Nurse license required in the State of Illinois
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) required
• 2-5 years of critical care nursing experience
• Current clinical certification required (examples include CCRN, PCCN, TCRN, CEN, or equivalent specialty certification)
• Leadership, operations, or process improvement experience preferred
• Strong understanding of nursing workflows, operational processes, and regulatory standards
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills required, including experience with data tracking, trending, and report development
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and project management skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with frontline staff, leadership, and interdisciplinary teams

Preferred:

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or additional leadership-focused graduate education preferred
• NEA-BC or additional nursing leadership certification preferred
• Experience with operational dashboards, data management, and workflow analysis preferred

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.