The Nurse Manager operates within the Springfield Memorial Hospital and Nursing Division mission, vision, strategic priorities and goals.  Utilizing a shared leadership philosophy, the Nurse Manager assumes accountability for department management and the quality of patient care in a designated department.  The Nurse Manager creates and maintains a work environment conducive to effective communication, collaboration, teambuilding and nursing professionalism.  She/he ensures the enculturation of the Magnet Program requirements in the department.  She/he assures that care provided in the department is appropriate to the age of the patients served and that staff are competent to provide safe, quality, evidence-based nursing care.  She/he maintains positive physician and interdepartmental relationships as well as positive employee morale.