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Director of Nursing
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Based on California data
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What they do
A Director of Nursing manages and supervises all nursing staff at a hospital or long term care facility. Manages communications with physicians, manages budgets and expenses, and assists other administrators with managing operations. Monitors staff schedules and the quality of nursing care at the facility. Maintains professional license or certification requirements.
$156,060 / year median in California
+21% projected growth
Job Description
Job Summary AURELIA is seeking a dynamic and visionary Director of Nursing to join our team. This is not a traditional hospital DON role. It's a startup clinical operations leadership role for a private post-surgical recovery facility (likely plastic surgery / elective recovery). You would essentially be responsible for: Building the nursing program (policies, workflows, staffing, training) Preparing the facility for licensing and regulatory approval in the long run. Starting with a partner's license. Running day-to-day clinical care for post-op patients once open Overseeing nurses, patient flow, medication systems, and recovery protocols Managing compliance, safety, and infection control Working directly with plastic surgeons and supporting patient experience Helping scale the operation as census grows Key reality of this job: This is a "wear many hats startup clinical leader" role , including: Clinical leadership (RN oversight, patient care standards) Operations leadership (scheduling, workflows, vendors, EMR setup) Compliance leadership (state licensing, audits, policies) Some non-clinical operational tasks (transportation, scheduling, coordination) It blends: DON + Clinical Operations Manager + Startup Builder + Patient Experience Lead What stands out (important): Very startup-heavy (you are building everything) Early phase is development work Includes non-clinical duties that are unusual for a DON (transportation, scheduling, marketing coordination) Strong emphasis on flexibility and "wear many hats" Likely small team at first, high ownership What a strong candidate needs: Active CA RN license (required) NP also acceptable. Prior leadership in nursing (charge nurse, supervisor, DON, clinical manager) Experience in post-op, surgical, outpatient surgery, or cosmetic medicine strongly preferred ICU Post-surgical experience qualifies. The ideal candidate is an experienced clinical leader who enjoys working collaboratively to establish best practices, lead a high-performing nursing team, and deliver exceptional patient care in a growing post-surgical recovery environment. Join us as we elevate nursing excellence through innovative leadership!