Director of Trauma Services, RN - Mercy San Diego

Scripps Mercy Hospital has served central and downtown San Diego since 1890 and is the oldest medical center in the county. The San Diego campus is located near the corner of 5th Avenue and Washington Street in Hillcrest.

Scripps Mercy Hospital consists of two campuses in San Diego and Chula Vista.

Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego’s campus includes the O’Toole Breast Care Center, a 24-hour emergency room that is a Level I Trauma Center, outpatient physical rehabilitation, minimally invasive robotic surgery and our childbirth unit (including a Level II neonatal intensive care unit).

Director of Trauma Services, RN

Full Time, Salary Role - Eligible for the Management Incentive Compensation Plan (MICP) at the Director level

Location: Scripps Mercy San Diego

Award-winning Workplace

• Scripps is a Great Place to Work Certified company for 2026.
• Recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2024.
• Becker's Healthcare ranked Scripps Health on its 2026 list of 165 top places to work in health care.
• Nearly a quarter of our employees have been with Scripps Health for over 10 years.
  
  

We encourage you to join Scripps Mercy San Diego as the Clinical Director of a Level I Trauma Program. Lead a dynamic team of approximately 25 employees that include Trauma Team Leads, Trauma Registrars, a PI Nurse, Trauma Injury Prevention Outreach Coordinator, Orthopedic Techs and Trauma Clinic staff.

Mercy San Diego’s Trauma Center sees approximately 2800 patients per year. The ideal candidate will have experience working in a high-volume Level I trauma environment as a trauma nurse or in a trauma ICU. The director works closely with the Trauma team and must have the ability to build close relationships with physicians.

Key Responsibilities

• Participates in trauma care systems at the community, state and national levels.
• Creates and implements clinical protocols and practice management guidelines to ensure a focus on patient safety.
• Participates in a multidisciplinary approach monitoring processes and outcomes.
• Creates quality filters, audits and case review to identify any trends and outlines any remedial actions.
• Supervises the collection, coding, scoring and development of data for validation and distributes findings.
• Ensures adherence to the American College of Surgeons standards for trauma designation, San Diego county contract with the department of Emergency Services, and that Title 22 chapter 7 division 9 are met.
• Oversees the safe transition of patients through the continuum of care to include active participation of nursing staff in planning and coordinating patient care, and direct hand-off to next appropriate level of care.
  
  

This is a Full Time, salaried position at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego.

Required Qualifications

• Current California RN license
• Current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS, ACLS & PALS certifications
• TNCC required
• Graduate of an accredited nursing program
• Bachelor's degree
• Seven (7) years of applicable clinical experience, three of which in a leadership role.
• Requires excellent skills in communication, problem-solving, team development, planning and follow-through.
• Ability to exercise the authority and responsibility for assigned services based on the scope of the organization and complexity of patient care.
• A minimum of 16 hours (internal or external) of trauma-related continuing education per year.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the American College of Surgeons standards for trauma designation
• Master's degree or MSN
• 2 years of experience in a Level I Trauma Center
• TNCC Instructor
  
  

At Scripps Health, you will experience the pride, support and respect of an organization that has been repeatedly recognized as one of the nation’s Top 100 Places to Work.

You’ll be surrounded by people committed to making a difference in the lives of their patients and their teammates. So if you’re open to change, go ahead and unlock your potential.

Position Pay Range: $84.15-$122.01/hour