JobsAdvocate Health

Clinical Nurse Manager - Medical Surgical Department

Advocate Health · Marinette, WI

Posted Sep 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through a time you had to fix a staffing gap on short notice, maybe a call-out on a med surg floor. What did you do and how did it turn out?

whether the candidate can handle real-time staffing and resource coordination without letting patient care slip

Tell me about a time you had to hold a staff member accountable for something like a policy violation or a documentation lapse. What did you say and what happened after?

comfort with corrective action and follow-through, not just conflict avoidance

Give me an example of a quality indicator you tracked, like a fall rate or infection rate, and how you used it to actually change practice on the unit.

whether they use data to drive improvement or just report numbers upward

Tell me about a conflict between a physician and your nursing staff that you had to step into. How did you handle it?

skill acting as liaison between medical staff and nursing without alienating either side

Describe a time you interviewed and hired a nurse who turned out to be a great fit, and also a time a hire didn't work out. What did you learn from each?

self-awareness and judgment in the HR side of the role, including willingness to admit a bad call

Tell me about a change initiative you rolled out that staff resisted at first. How did you communicate it and get buy-in?

change management skill and whether they can move a team without just issuing directives

Technical

How do you build a 24-hour staffing and scheduling pattern on a unit while staying inside labor management standards?

practical knowledge of productivity benchmarks and staffing math, not just theory

What's your process for staying current on age-specific care standards across a med surg population that could range from young adults to geriatric patients?

depth of clinical knowledge behind the age-specific competency requirement, not just checkbox familiarity

Situational

Say a Joint Commission survey is announced for next week and you know your unit has a few gaps in documentation compliance. What do you do in the days you have?

how they prioritize under regulatory pressure and whether they have a real process versus panic

How do you approach a shared governance council meeting where staff are pushing a practice change you're not convinced is evidence-based?

ability to balance staff empowerment with clinical judgment and organizational goals

You're managing a unit budget and you're trending over on overtime three months in a row. Walk me through how you'd dig into that and what you'd change.

financial literacy and whether they can connect budget variance to operational causes

How would you handle a patient satisfaction score that's dropped on your unit even though your clinical quality metrics look fine?

understanding that patient loyalty and service strategy are separate from clinical quality and require their own plan

If a physician came to you wanting to pilot a new service line on your unit, how would you evaluate whether it's feasible from a staffing, budget, and revenue standpoint?

business acumen and whether they can partner on program development beyond pure clinical management

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 35802 AMC BayArea - Med Surg: IU Medical Unit Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Primarily weekday business hours with flexibility to connect with teammates working off shifts. Pay Range: $51.05 - $76.60 Major Responsibilities: • Coordinates and manages all resources necessary to provide optimal nursing care, including availability of staff resources, patient care supplies and automated patient care systems. Effectively manages resources through systems management and coordinates system issues to assure optimal patient care. • Maintains an optimal level of productivity, based on the coordination of efficient 24-hour staffing and scheduling patterns and labor management standards. • Evaluates the quality of patient care provided by department staff by using standards of practice, patient outcomes and other quality indicators to include peer review, incident reports, use of policies and procedures, evaluation of equipment, supplies and products; ensures appropriate resources are available for department performance improvement initiatives. • Develops service strategies and monitors service levels against indicators to demonstrate improvement in customer and patient satisfaction. Coordinates and integrates services with other areas. • Maintains and promotes effective relationships with and between patients, families, department staff, other departments, medical staff and their support staff, other health care facilities and vendors. Acts as a liaison between medical and nursing staffs as necessary. • Facilitates evidence-based nursing by creating an environment that encourages utilization of evidence in practice and decision-making to maintain quality, cost and customer service; ensures integration of evidence in congruence with departmental, organizational, and strategic goals. • Participates in shared governance councils and provides feedback as requested. Makes recommendations for changes in nursing practice to shared governance councils and promotes new approaches and concepts. Supports shared governance by holding staff accountable and by monitoring and counseling department representative(s) to ensure role compliance. • Responsible for attaining and maintaining department's compliance with the Joint Commission (TJC) on Accreditation and other regulatory bodies. • Develops and communicates change initiatives. Achieves care management targets in area(s) of responsibility and achieves target improvements in employee engagement. Plans for staffing needs appropriately meeting established productivity benchmarks and achieves patient loyalty targets • Assists physicians and other departments with development of new services, identifying potential new sources of revenue and/or assisting in the marketing of existing and new programs. • Performs human resources responsibilities for staff which include interviewing and selection of new employees, promotions, staff development, performance evaluations, compensation changes, resolution of employee concerns, corrective actions, terminations, and overall employee morale. • Develops and recommends operating and capital budgets and controls expenditures within approved budget objectives. • Responsible for understanding and adhering to the organization's Code of Ethical Conduct and for ensuring that personal actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations and laws applicable to the organization's business. • Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards. Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required: • Registered Nurse license issued by the state in which the team member practices. Education Required: • Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. Experience Required: • Typically requires 5 years of experience in nursing that includes experiences in multiple areas. Includes 1 year of supervisory experience in managing a staff and budgets in a nursing environment at the supervisory/management level. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Advanced knowledge of nursing management concepts, clinical practice, and facilities policies and procedures. • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to deal with conflict resolution. • Strong aptitude in human resource management. • Ability to handle multiple demands simultaneously. • Sound decision making and critical thinking skills. • Proficient in use of computers, software, and other electronic systems. Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, squat, bend, reach above shoulders, and twist frequently during work shift. • Occasionally required to lift over 50 lbs. with assistance. • Required to use foot pedals on carts or machines. • Must have functional sight and hearing. • Exposed to the following hazards on a continuous basis: mechanical, electrical, chemical, radiation, blood and body fluids. • Required to wear gloves, goggles and gowns on an as-needed basis. • Operates equipment essential to performing the duties of the job. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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