Chief Nursing Officer and VP Care Executive Search
Nursing executive search, conducted in confidence. We help boards and chief executives recruit Chief Nursing Officers and VPs of patient care, and we offer sitting executives a private place to consider what is next.
- Free for candidates. Always.
- Licences verified with the regulator
- Every province and territory except Quebec
The most senior nurse in the organization
The Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Nursing Executive or VP of Patient Care leads nursing practice and, in many organizations, wider clinical portfolios. Titles vary. Some organizations combine the role with Chief Operating Officer or Chief Clinical Officer.
Professional practice
Accountable for the standard of nursing practice, professional development, and interprofessional care models.
Operations and workforce
Staffing strategy, labour relations, budgets, recruitment and retention, and the use of agency and relief staff.
Governance and quality
Reports to the CEO. Works with the board quality committee, accreditation, patient safety, and system partners.
Where these roles sit
In Ontario, the Hospital Management regulation under the Public Hospitals Act (Reg. 965) defines the chief nursing executive as the senior nurse employed by the hospital who reports directly to the administrator and is responsible for nursing services provided in the hospital. It also requires hospital by-laws to provide for how the administrator appoints that nurse and to set out the role's functions and responsibilities. Other provinces handle the role through their own hospital and health authority structures, so we confirm the reporting line and title for each mandate.
Hospitals and hospital networks
Chief nursing executive and VP seats.
Hospital staffingHealth authorities and provincial health organizations
Regional and system-level nursing executive roles.
Large long-term care and continuing care operators
Senior nursing leadership across multiple homes.
Long-term care staffingHome and community care organizations
Executive clinical leadership in community settings.
Home and community care staffingHow an executive search works
Five steps, in the language of a board mandate.
- Mandate and profileA confidential briefing with the board, CEO or committee on strategy, scope, reporting lines and succession context.
- Market mappingWe identify nurse executives across hospitals, health authorities and community organizations, in Canada and, where relevant, abroad.
- Direct approachPrivate outreach. No public posting unless you ask.
- Assessment and verificationStructured interviews, registration verification with the provincial regulator, and references with consent.
- Shortlist, offer and onboarding supportYou decide. We support the offer and the transition.
Timelines depend on the mandate and the market. We do not promise a date.
What we verify. Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the provincial regulator (for example the College of Nurses of Ontario, the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, or the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta) where the role requires nursing registration. Leadership experience at comparable scale. Graduate education in nursing, health administration or leadership where the employer expects it. Executive credentials such as the Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders, where relevant. We verify credentials. We do not guarantee outcomes.
Ways to engage
Executive mandates can be structured in different ways. We discuss which suits yours.
Retained search
An exclusive, dedicated engagement with agreed milestones, the approach usually considered for executive roles.
Contingent search
Considered where an organization wants additional reach alongside an internal process.
Interim executive and succession support
Short-term executive cover, and succession planning conversations with boards and CEOs.
Terms are discussed directly. Learn more about how our executive search works.
A private conversation, not an application
Executives rarely apply. We start by listening. Tell us what would make a move worthwhile: scope, region, governance, culture, or family. We never share your name without your explicit agreement.
- No application and no public profile.
- Your name is not shared without your explicit agreement.
- We tell you honestly if we have nothing that fits.
What you can expect from us
- We are a new firm. Searches are led by named people, not a call centre.
- We hold search mandates and candidate identities in confidence.
- We are open about what we know and what we are still learning.
Free for candidates. Always.
Related pages
Executive search
How our confidential search works.
Executive searchDirectors of Care
Senior nursing leadership in long-term care.
Director of Care recruitmentAdministrators
Home-level executive search.
Administrator recruitmentNurse managers
Unit and program manager search.
Nurse manager recruitmentHospital
Hospital staffing.
Hospital staffingDirect hire
Permanent placement.
Direct hireFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CNO and a VP of Patient Care?
Often only the title. A CNO is the senior nurse. A VP of Patient Care may carry wider scope. The role definition matters more than the title, so we begin every mandate by confirming the scope, reporting line and portfolio with your board or CEO.
Can the search be confidential if the current CNO is still in post?
Yes. We approach candidates directly and do not advertise. At the confidential briefing we agree who is told what, and candidate identities are held in confidence throughout, so a transition can be planned without public posting or disruption to the current leader and team.
Do you search outside Canada?
We can discuss it. A nurse from outside Canada needs registration with the provincial or territorial regulator before practising where the role requires it. We confirm registration requirements as part of verification, so you know what a candidate would need to complete before starting.
Do you offer succession planning?
We can talk through succession options with boards and CEOs. These are conversations about the seat, the bench of internal leaders and the market, held in confidence, and they can sit alongside or ahead of an active search depending on what your organization needs.
Do you guarantee a hire?
No. We verify credentials and manage the process. We do not promise outcomes. Timelines depend on the mandate and the market, so we do not promise a date either, and the hiring decision stays with your board or CEO.
Begin quietly
Questions first? Contact us.
I am hiring
Brief us on the mandate. Confidential from the first conversation.
Start a confidential searchI am a nurse leader
Tell us what would make a move worthwhile. Nothing is shared without you.
Have a confidential conversation