RN Care Manager NICU Inpatient

Primary Location

Burnet Campus

Department

Inpatient Care Management

Shift

Day (United States of America)

Schedule

Full time

Weekly Hours

40

FTE

1

Employee Status

Regular

 

*Expected Starting Pay Range

$81,723.20 - $104,208.00

*Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on‑call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

 

Registered Nurse Care Manager – NICU

Department: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Schedule: Monday–Friday, Day Shift
FTE: 1.0 FTE
Location: On-site
Weekend/Holiday Requirement: Approximately 2–3 weekend shifts per year; rotating holiday call coverage from 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Position Overview

Cincinnati Children’s is seeking an experienced Registered Nurse Care Manager to join our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team. The RN Care Manager plays a critical role in coordinating complex care and supporting infants and families throughout their hospitalization and transition home.

Working closely with physicians, nurses, social work, therapy, case management, and other interdisciplinary partners, the Care Manager identifies barriers to care progression, coordinates resources, and helps ensure safe, timely, and well-planned transitions from the hospital to home or the next level of care.

This is an on-site, Monday–Friday day-shift position, with NICU Care Managers rounding with their assigned clinical teams to remain closely connected to patient and family needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with interdisciplinary teams to assess patient and family needs and identify barriers to care progression.
• Participate in daily rounds and collaborate with the care team to develop and implement individualized plans for transition and discharge.
• Facilitate safe and timely transitions of care for medically complex NICU patients.
• Coordinate home care services, durable medical equipment (DME), supplies, and other resources needed after discharge.
• Assist with coordinating follow-up appointments and connecting families with appropriate community and healthcare resources.
• Advocate for patients and families throughout the hospitalization, ensuring their needs, preferences, and concerns are incorporated into the plan of care.
• Assess family readiness for discharge and identify educational, psychosocial, logistical, or resource needs that may impact a successful transition home.
• Collaborate with families and interdisciplinary partners to develop realistic and achievable discharge plans.
• Optimize resource utilization while maintaining high-quality, patient- and family-centered care.
• Identify potential discharge barriers early and proactively develop solutions with the healthcare team.
• Facilitate communication and coordination across inpatient, outpatient, home care, and community-based services.
• Support continuity of care and help reduce avoidable delays in discharge.
• Provide education and guidance to families regarding available resources and the transition to home.
• Participate in weekend coverage, typically 2–3 weekends per year, and rotating holiday call coverage from 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• Current Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the state of Ohio
• Minimum of 5 years of professional nursing experience
• Strong clinical assessment, communication, organization, and care coordination skills
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with patients, families, and interdisciplinary teams

Preferred:

• Experience caring for neonatal or medically complex pediatric patients
• Experience in care management, case management, discharge planning, or care coordination
• Experience coordinating home healthcare, DME, and community resources
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams in an acute-care setting

Why Join the NICU Care Management Team?

This role offers an opportunity to make a meaningful difference beyond the bedside by helping NICU patients and families navigate complex healthcare needs and prepare for a successful transition home. You will work alongside a highly collaborative interdisciplinary team and play an essential role in ensuring that every family has the resources, education, and support needed for the next step in their child's care.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Evaluation and Outcomes - Evaluate the timeliness and availability of treatments and services and adjusting level of service according to changing needs. Evaluate actual patient outcomes in relation to expected outcomes for the care managed population. Identifies quality improvement opportunities such as consistent issues with smooth care progression and communicates them to the department's management/leadership team, providing supporting data and reference to evidence based practice when possible. Participates in the management of metrics (outcomes, value, and experience) across the continuum of care.
• Monitoring - Monitor the patient's progress in achieving the goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of the plan at specified time frames. Utilizes Critical Pathways and /or Clinical Guidelines to monitor patient progress toward health. Follows through on the status of key diagnostic and treatment tests and procedures to insure continued progression. Interacts with involved departments and other members of the healthcare team to negotiate and expedite scheduling and completion of tests and procedures. Identifies, documents and communicates barriers to the plan of care to the healthcare team. Serves as the contact person for and works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to manage resource usage/utilization.
• Coordination - Facilitates communication and coordination between members of the health care team across all phases of care. Involves the patient, family and caregivers in the decision-making process in order to minimize fragmentation in services. Leads the coordination of care, setting priorities and encouraging the appropriate use and timeliness of health care services Facilitates a smooth transition of care by ensuring that key components of the plan of care and/or patient needs are communicated to subsequent care providers across the continuum. Demonstrates an understanding of legal and regulatory issues (HIPPA, EMTALA, regulatory agencies, CMS, legal P&P) impacting the care delivery and reimbursement process. Negotiates and advocates for the patient for services and resources needed. Provides patient/family education regarding post-acute services, community resources, or other needs as identified. Creates an environment to support patient safety by integrating patient safety goals into daily practice based on the patient's age and the population served.
• Implementation - Implementing the agreed upon plan of care. Provides self-management support to high risk/complex patients and families, including helping families identify and overcome barriers to care. Utilizes collaborative communication skills to establish a working partnership with the patient/family/caregiver, treatment team, and community resources/providers. Educates the patient, family and caregiver along with members of the health care delivery team about treatment options. Empowers the patient, family, and caregiver to problem-solve by exploring options of care when available and alternative plans, when necessary, to achieve desired outcomes. Encourages the appropriate use of health care services and strives to improve quality of care and maintain cost effectiveness on a case-by-case basis. Support and facilitate all care transitions from inpatient to outpatient, practice to practice and from pediatric to adult systems of care.
• Planning - Planning with the patient, family or caregiver and providers, to maximize health outcomes and ensure quality, cost effective care. Works with the patient, family and caregiver, to establish treatment goals that meet the patient's healthcare and safety needs. Integrates patient, family and caregiver decisions and choice into the planning process. Coordinates the plan of care and maintains documentation of case updates and discussion/events involving individuals responsible for patient welfare (e.g. family, providers, and care team members). Identifies the need for patient/family team meeting, participates in the meeting and documents the outcomes. Proactively identifies medical and psychosocial services needed by the patient. Reassess plan of care and adjusts plan according to patient needs.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• ACEN/CCNE accredited BSN OR MSN OR Associate/Diploma RN AND 2+ years of experience and BSN/MSN.
• 5+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Active Ohio RN License. May be required to obtain other state licensure.

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s. 

 Cincinnati Children's is: 

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10  best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years 

• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding 

• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers  (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025) 

• One of the nation's America’s Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune 

• Consistently certified as great place to work 

• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability 

• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 

 We Embrace Innovation—Together.  We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us. 

Comprehensive job description provided upon request.

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability