Covenant Health

Director of Surgical Services

Full Time, 80 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is an award-winning, certified, and accredited facility with 541 beds. As a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, Fort Sanders offers state-of-the art care that maximizes recovery from stroke.  We are also the region’s leader in technology in areas such as bariatric surgery, robotic surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. Our door-to-balloon times for heart attack patients are below the national average, and our hip fracture center offers advanced diagnosis, surgery and recovery procedures for hip patients.

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is a member of Covenant Health, a locally-owned, non-profit health system based in Knoxville, TN, with a “patient-focused” culture. It has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as its 2020 “Best-in-State-Employer” for Tennessee. The CEO of our company, Jim VanderSteeg, attends every new employee orientation and will ask you to sign our pledge of excellence to always put patients first, strive for excellence in everything we do, and make Covenant Health the first and best choice for patients in our region. As you’d expect, we offer our employees a robust benefits package, including: offering unmatched medical insurance, tuition reimbursement; student loan repayment assistance, certification bonuses; leadership and professional development programs; an employer-matched 401(k); and a generous Combined Time Off (CTO) program.

Fort Sanders Regional’s extensive surgical capabilities are transforming the surgery experience for patients in East Tennessee. From the area’s first robotically assisted surgery system, image-guided brain and spinal cord procedures to our hybrid operating room, Fort Sanders Regional provides patients more options and the best surgical technology available. We also offer traditional surgical options including advanced laparoscopy and day surgery procedures.

The Surgery department at Fort Sanders Regional consists of 17 operating rooms where over 10,000 procedures are performed each year. Our surgical specialties include bariatrics, cardiothoracic, colon/rectal, orthopedics, plastics, vascular, sinus, neuro, and surgical oncology.

Our staff consists of RNs, Certified Surgical Technologists, and Peri-Op / Anesthesia Techs who always work together to provide exceptional patient outcomes. Nurses in surgery work very closely with physicians to ensure our patients are safe. We have a supportive environment and an orientation tailored to your needs.

Position Summary:

Responsible for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and evaluating the Operating Room and Endoscopy lab, Pre-Operative Holding area, Post Anesthesia Care unit, Pre-Admission Testing and Day Surgery unit.  Responsible for the preparation of departmental operations budget and capital equipment budget.  Supervises all staffing issues and is responsible for the recruitment and hiring of new staff.  Implement and revise department policies and procedures.  Assist in the planning and budgeting for the Surgical and Ambulatory Services, as well as direct all staff annual performance evaluations.  Assist the Vice President and other Directors/Managers in strategic planning.

If you have any questions, please contact Recruiter: Lacey Spoon || Lspoon2@covhlth.com || 865-374-5404

• Responsible for overseeing all staffing and medical staff issues, as well as human resource management. Implement and revise employee policies and procedures.  Complete all required competency staff evaluations.
• Develop and implement Treatment Protocols. Responsible for the standardization of care in the Operating Room, Endoscopy lab, and provides consultative for the c-section operating rooms. 
• Responsible for the co-management of ancillary support and Volunteer Services for Peri-Operative areas.
• Participate/lead as needed on various projects (such as the Joint Commission, clinical leadership and quality improvement meetings).
• Maintain established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality control activities, safety, environmental and infection control standards.
• Assist the Vice President and other leaders in Strategic Planning.
• Assist other Directors/Managers in the design of new systems and the redeployment of staff.
• Implement and/or support system research projects.
• Collaborate with other Directors in facilities management.
• Supervise scheduling for all departments in Surgical/Outpatient Services, which includes recognition of patient, staffing, and physician issues related to the schedules.
• Collaborate with clinical Directors and Managers on planning, budgeting, and compiling reports.
• Responsible for all staff education at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Surgical Services, including oversight of peri-operative nursing and surgical technology course.
• Process improvement activities and provision of required clinical instruction to meet physician and patient needs.
• Evaluation of staffing patterns and competency, plus matching competency levels with clinical requirements.
• Develops financial budgets and targets. Works with other leaders in implementing changes for achieving financial targets.
• Acts as liaison with finance and accounting, IS, and other business directors.
• Meets with system administrators, Regional Vice Presidents and others when necessary for marketing, planning, implementation, tracking, and analysis.
• Assist in the resolution of medical staff issues which includes provision of data necessary to analyze problems and offer solutions.
• Collaborates with administration and medical staff to identify and improve efficiency in service to patients and physicians.
• Supervises maintenance of equipment so that breakdowns/accidents in surgery are prevented.
• Seeks opportunities and presents proposals for process improvement in existing operations.
• Maintains materials/supply budgets, manages charges, standardize equipment/supplies as possible and appropriate.
• Develops physician profiles to share comparative cost, utilization, and reimbursement information with medical staff for specified products.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

Minimum Education:

Graduate of accredited school of nursing. Master's degree, plus two (2) years managerial experience in related field or equivalent combination or educational/managerial experience desired.

Minimum Experience:

Two (2) years managerial experience in related field or equivalent combination or educational/managerial experience.

Preferred Experience: 

Five (5) years director experience in an O.R. of 17 rooms or more. Surgical robotics experience. Strong PeriOp background. 

Licensure Requirement:

Current RN License required.

RN License