Veterinary Nurse Manager

Capital Veterinary Specialists, Jax

Jacksonville, Florida 

The Nurse Manager is responsible for the leadership, development, and oversight of the nursing team at Capital Veterinary Specialists. This role serves as the primary leader for all veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and nursing support staff, ensuring the delivery of exceptional patient care while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and professional growth.

The Nurse Manager will partner closely with specialists, department leaders, and hospital leadership to drive operational excellence, improve retention, support employee development, and establish consistent nursing standards throughout the hospital.

This role is a critical leadership position designed to provide focused support to the nursing team while allowing clinical leaders and specialists to remain focused on delivering exceptional patient care.

Essential Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development

• Directly supervise all veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and nursing support staff.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, coaching sessions, and performance evaluations.
• Develop and oversee onboarding and training programs for new nursing team members.
• Create career development pathways and mentorship opportunities.
• Identify future nursing leaders and support succession planning.
• Partner with hospital leadership and Human Resources on performance management and corrective action processes.
• Lead employee engagement and retention initiatives.

Clinical Excellence

• Establish and maintain consistent nursing standards across all specialty and emergency services.
• Promote patient safety and high-quality patient care.
• Ensure compliance with hospital protocols and best practices.
• Partner with department leadership on workflow optimization and process improvement.
• Support implementation of new medical and nursing initiatives.

Staffing & Workforce Planning

• Collaborate with leadership to assess staffing needs and workforce planning.
• Assist with recruitment, interviewing, and hiring of nursing team members.
• Monitor staffing levels and identify opportunities to improve coverage and efficiency.
• Support scheduling processes and staffing allocations as needed.

Culture & Communication

• Serve as a liaison between nursing staff and hospital leadership.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration across departments.
• Foster a positive, accountable, and supportive work environment.
• Address team concerns proactively and support conflict resolution efforts.

Financial & Operational Performance

• Monitor nursing labor utilization and productivity metrics.
• Support leadership in managing labor costs while maintaining quality patient care.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
• Contribute to hospital goals related to growth, service excellence, employee retention, and financial performance.

Qualifications

Required

• Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT/CVT/RVT) preferred, or equivalent veterinary nursing leadership experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of veterinary clinical experience.
• Minimum of two (2) years of supervisory or leadership experience.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build, develop, and retain high-performing teams.
• Ability to effectively manage priorities in a fast-paced specialty and emergency environment.

Preferred

• Specialty and/or emergency veterinary medicine experience.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary clinical teams.
• Experience with employee engagement, retention programs, and organizational development initiatives.

Key Success Metrics

• Nursing team retention and turnover reduction
• Employee engagement and satisfaction
• Quality of patient care and nursing standards
• Onboarding and training effectiveness
• Staffing vacancy rates and recruitment success
• Operational efficiency and workflow improvements
• Cross-department collaboration and communication