Transfer Center Lead, RN, Full-time, Leadership

Position Summary

This is a rare opportunity — not just another leadership role, but a chance to build something that matters from the ground up.

As Transfer Center Lead, you will serve as the founding architect of our hospital system’s centralized Transfer Center — a mission-critical function at the heart of patient access, timely care delivery, and regional clinical collaboration. You will design and launch the infrastructure, workflows, technology, and team that will connect referring providers, receiving specialists, and clinical teams across our network, ensuring every patient reaches the right level of care at the right time.

This is not a caretaker role. We are looking for an experienced RN leader who has navigated the complexity of inter-facility coordination, knows what it takes to build a high-performing team and sustain operations. You will shape the culture, define the standards, and leave a legacy that improves patient outcomes for years to come.

Once operational, you will transition seamlessly into ongoing leadership of the Transfer Center — overseeing day-to-day operations, performance metrics, staff development, and continuous improvement initiatives that keep our center among the best in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Program Design & Launch

• Work with leaders to develop the end-to-end design and implementation of the Transfer Center, including physical layout, staffing model, communication systems, and escalation protocols.
• Develop and standardize operational workflows, clinical protocols, and acceptance criteria in alignment with hospital policy, regulatory requirements, and evidence-based practice.
• Partner with clinical informatics and IT to evaluate, select, and implement transfer center technology platforms, including bed management software, communication tools, and data tracking systems.
• Establish service level expectations, key performance indicators (KPIs), and reporting frameworks to measure efficiency, quality, and patient outcomes from day one.
• Collaborate with medical staff leadership, nursing directors, and service line leaders to align transfer acceptance criteria and on-call responsibilities across specialties.
• Build and refine relationships with referring facilities, EMS agencies, and regional partners to establish trust, streamline communication, and grow inbound transfer volume.
• Develop and deliver staff training programs, onboarding curricula, and competency assessments for all Transfer Center personnel.

Ongoing Operational Leadership

• Provide direct leadership and supervision of Transfer Center coordinators, nurses, and support staff, including hiring, scheduling, performance management, and professional development.
• Serve as the clinical and operational escalation point for complex transfer cases, capacity challenges, and inter-facility conflicts requiring real-time decision-making.
• Monitor and analyze transfer center performance data; present regular reports to executive leadership on volume trends, response times, denial rates, and patient outcomes.
• Drive continuous quality improvement initiatives to reduce transfer time, optimize bed placement, and eliminate barriers to acceptance.
• Ensure 24/7 operational readiness of the Transfer Center, including on-call coverage, staffing contingency planning, and downtime procedures.
• Champion a culture of patient-centered care, accountability, and clinical excellence within the Transfer Center team.
• Maintain compliance with CMS regulations, EMTALA requirements, Joint Commission standards, and all applicable state and federal guidelines governing patient transfers.
• Represent the Transfer Center in hospital-wide committees, capacity management meetings, and strategic planning sessions.

Required Qualifications

Education & Licensure

• Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the state of practice (or compact licensure eligibility); licensure must be in good standing.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
• Master’s degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field strongly preferred and may substitute for additional experience requirements.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of clinical nursing experience in an acute care setting, with demonstrated expertise in critical care, emergency medicine, or a high-acuity clinical environment.
• Minimum of 2–3 years of direct leadership or management experience in a hospital transfer center, patient transfer coordination program, or patient access/bed management function. This is a non-negotiable requirement.
• Demonstrated experience building, launching, or significantly restructuring a transfer center or patient access program is highly valued.
• Proven track record of leading and developing clinical teams in a fast-paced, high-stakes operational environment.
• Experience working across service lines and with medical staff leadership to develop and implement transfer acceptance protocols.

Certifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required; Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) preferred.
• Certification in healthcare leadership, case management, or patient access (e.g., ACM, CCM, CPHQ, CPXP) preferred.
• EMTALA compliance training or equivalent regulatory education required within 90 days of hire.

Core Competencies & Skills

• Deep understanding of inter-facility transfer processes, EMTALA regulations, and patient throughput principles.
• Strong clinical judgment and the ability to rapidly assess patient acuity and appropriate level of care.
• Proficiency with transfer center platforms, electronic health records (EHR), and bed management technology; experience with systems such as Teletracking, Patientco, or similar preferred.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills with physicians, executives, and external partners.
• Data-driven leadership style with the ability to interpret operational metrics and drive evidence-based improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, manage competing priorities, and perform effectively under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a health system with multiple campuses or facilities, including management of high-volume inbound and outbound transfer programs.
• Familiarity with telemedicine-enabled transfer coordination models and emerging patient access technologies.
• Prior experience leading a transfer center launch, expansion, or major operational redesign.
• Knowledge of regional EMS systems, air and ground transport protocols, and coordination with receiving and sending facility medical directors.
• Experience presenting to C-suite leadership, participating in strategic planning, or leading system-level quality initiatives.
• Bilingual communication skills are a plus in service areas with diverse patient populations.

Why This Role. Why Now.

The best transfer center leaders we know aren’t just managers — they are clinicians who understand what is at stake when a patient is waiting for a bed, a physician needs an answer in minutes, and a family is counting on the system to work. If that description resonates with you, we want to talk.

We are building a Transfer Center that will serve as a cornerstone of our patient access strategy and our commitment to regional healthcare leadership. This is a visible, high-impact position with full executive support, a dedicated implementation budget, and the organizational investment to do it right.

If you are an RN leader who has built something great — or who is ready to — and you are driven by the knowledge that getting transfers right means patients get the care they need when they need it most, we encourage you to apply. Even if you are not actively looking, we invite you to start a conversation.

This is your opportunity to lead, build, and make a lasting difference.