Patient Care Director, Critical Care

About Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free‑standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites.

As The Kids Experts in our region, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital. Children’s Minnesota is proud to be recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2023’s Top Diversity Leaders.

The Patient Care Director is responsible for providing operational and clinical leadership in assigned patient care units. This role ensures delivery of high quality, patient and family centered care. It will be accountable for the clinical, regulatory, operational and financial plans and goals, and will optimize resources, foster a culture of safety and continuous improvement and support strategic initiatives with data‑driven decisions.

The patient care director also focuses on fostering an engaged and healthy work environment that aligns with diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. The role will collaborate closely with nursing leaders, medical directors, service line leaders and other key stakeholders to align patient care delivery with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.

This Patient Care Director role supports Critical Care areas providing strategic, operational, and clinical leadership for the CVICU, Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU’s), Respiratory Therapy, and Sleep Lab at Children’s Minnesota. The role ensures the delivery of high‑quality, patient‑ and family‑centered care while fostering a culture of safety, continuous improvement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

On-site

Yes

• Active RN license in the state of Minnesota required
• Specialty certification in nursing leadership preferred (e.g., NEA‑BC or NE‑BC)

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing (or master’s in nursing in lieu of non‑nursing bachelor’s) required
• Master’s degree preferred (nursing, healthcare administration, or business administration preferred)

• 7 years of demonstrated progressive leadership experience in an acute care setting
• Previous experience as a people leader in a highly regulated environment (Joint Commission, Magnet, Level 1 trauma, surgery verification programs, employment law, labor unions, or related environments)
• Proven experience in budget management
• Proven experience with clinical quality improvement

• Providing, using, and interpreting data to inform strategic decisions
• Creating and maintaining a budget
• Understanding how operational decision making translates to financial outcomes
• Process improvement/continuous improvement principles and methodology
• Change management methods
• Improving patient and employee experience
• Project management involving cross‑functional teams

Please view the Physical Demands information.

The posted salary represents a market competitive range based on salary survey benchmark data for similar roles in the local or national market. When determining individual pay rates, we carefully consider a wide range of factors including but not limited to market indicators for the specific role, the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate, internal equity and organizational needs.

In addition to your salary, this position may be eligible for medical, dental, vision, retirement, and other fringe benefits. Positions that require night, weekend or on‐call work may be eligible for shift differentials or premium pay.

All job offers are contingent upon successful completion of an occupational health assessment, drug screen, background investigation, and compliance with the U.S. Government Form I‑9, Employment Eligibility Verification.

Children’s Minnesota is proud to be an equal opportunity employer whose staff is representative of its community and considers qualified applicants for open positions without regard to race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.