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Director of Nursing Operations

Advocate Health · Milwaukee, WI · $68.20–$102.30 an hour · Full time

Posted Sep 30, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.

About your past

Tell me about a retention strategy you led that actually lowered turnover. How did you measure it?

What they are checking: Whether they have real results on retention, which the posting names as a core responsibility.

How do you use employee engagement results to change how a nursing department works?

What they are checking: Whether they turn engagement data into specific changes rather than just reporting the scores.

How have you built relationships with nursing schools and instructors to bring in new graduates?

What they are checking: Whether they see academic partnerships as a recruiting pipeline and know how to build one.

Tell me about a time you had to coach a nurse leader who was struggling. What did you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can develop leaders under them through honest coaching rather than only correcting them.

How do you help staff nurses figure out their career goals and move toward them?

What they are checking: Whether they invest in career growth as a retention tool, which the posting expects.

Describe how you'd spend your first 90 days in this role.

What they are checking: Whether they would listen and learn the hospital before making big changes.

What would you do

Aurora St. Luke's is a large, complex hospital. How would you manage staffing across units on a day when several are short at once?

What they are checking: Whether they can make fair, safe staffing decisions across the hospital rather than protecting one unit.

A charge nurse calls you on a weekend about a supply shortage that's affecting patient care. Walk me through your response.

What they are checking: Whether they can solve operational problems quickly through the right channels during off-shift hours.

When an automated patient care system goes down, what's your plan to keep care safe across units?

What they are checking: Whether they think ahead about downtime procedures and coordinate a hospital-wide response.

How do you balance labor costs with safe staffing when finance and nursing see the numbers differently?

What they are checking: Whether they can speak both languages and make a reasoned case without ignoring either side.

About the work

How do you decide what goes into nursing orientation and continuing education, and how do you know it's working?

What they are checking: Whether they can design and evaluate education based on real gaps and outcomes, not just requirements.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 34000 Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center - Administration: Nursing Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Day shift range 0700-1700 with off shift and periodic weekends based off needs Pay Range: $68.20 - $102.30 Major Responsibilities: • Coordinates and manages all resources necessary to provide optimal nursing care. This includes the availability of staff resources, patient care supplies and automated patient care systems. Also responsible for effectively managing resources through systems management, carefully coordinating system issues to assure optimal patient care. • Responsible for using innovative and effective recruitment and retention strategies and coaching staff in recruitment and retention behaviors. Also responsible for establishing successful relationships and links with nursing instructors and students. Responsible for optimizing the work environment by effective use of all data, which includes but is not limited to employee feedback and the employee engagement index to enhance the retention of staff. • Responsible for providing input, direction and expertise in the development, application, and evaluation of orientation and continuing education programs. Coaches staff to assist in identification of their goals to advance practice and career advancement. Develops a plan with employees for achievement of identified goals. Assists staff in areas where deficits are identified and in the identification of areas for growth. • Responsible for evaluating the quality of patient care provided by all department staff by using the Standards of Practice and patient outcomes and other quality indicators to include peer review, incident reports, use of policy and procedures, evaluation of equipment, supplies and products. Responsible to ensure that appropriate resources are available for Performance Improvement initiatives on the department. • Develops service strategies and monitors service levels against indicators to demonstrate improvement in customer and patient satisfaction. Coordinates and integrates services with other areas. Holds employees accountable for meeting department, facility, and Aurora Service Standards. • 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. Participates in problem resolution as needed. Acts as a liaison between medical and nursing staffs as necessary. • Facilitates evidence-based nursing by creating an environment that encourages the utilization of evidence in practice; uses evidence in decision-making to maintain quality, cost and customer service; and ensures the integration of evidence in congruence with departmental, organizational, regional and Aurora strategic goals. • Responsible for making recommendations for changes in nursing practice to shared governance councils and promotes new approaches and concepts. Responsible for participating in shared governance councils as a management representative, as a work group member, or by providing feedback as requested to the councils. Responsible for supporting shared governance in the department by holding staff accountable and by monitoring and counseling the department representative(s) to ensure role compliance. • Responsible for achieving care management targets in area(s) of responsibility. Responsible for achieving patient loyalty targets. Responsible for achieving target improvements in employee engagement. Plans for staffing needs appropriately meeting established productivity benchmarks. • Responsible for attaining and maintaining department's compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation, and other regulatory bodies. • 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 7 years of experience in nursing. Includes 3 years of management experience in managing multiple, large, complex inpatient nursing departments. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Demonstrated business, financial, and clinical skills to manage the operations of assigned departments to ensure high quality, patient focused care. • Demonstrated leadership and administrative skills with the ability to develop and coach staff as well as the ability to delegate appropriately. • Strong listening and critical thinking skills. • Strong skills in the management of human resources. • Ability to handle multiple demands simultaneously. • Strong oral and written communication skills. • Strong planning and organization skills. • Demonstrated experience in the use of personal computers, productivity software and nursing information systems Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Must be able to operate all equipment essential in performing the job. • May be exposed to hazardous conditions and thus must wear protective clothing as needed. • Working atmosphere may contain fumes and odors. • Must be able to walk the majority of the workday. • Must have functional speech, vision, smell, and hearing. 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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