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Job Summary:
The Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) is responsible for supporting and advancing patient safety initiatives throughout Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC). This position will focus on facilitating patient safety education, monitoring safety performance, and implementing evidence-based practices to reduce patient harm. The PSS will collaborate with clinical teams to identify risks, recommend solutions, and drive improvements to enhance overall patient safety across the organization. The PSS will collect data through chart reviews and other methods while working with members of MWHC to identify opportunities to drive improvements in patient safety clinical outcomes and practice variation.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities:
- Acts as a facilitator and advocate for a culture of patient safety, engaging staff at all levels to ensure a commitment to safety practices.
- Collects clinical data and conducts chart reviews, assists with identifying strategies to create and reinforce a culture of safety and continuous preparedness for National Performance Goals.
- Supports a culture of patient safety and high reliability. Partners with nursing, administration, and medical staff leadership to assist with ensuring organizational compliance related to patient safety.
- Drives patient safety improvements by identifying trends, using significant outcomes performance data, and recommends opportunities to enhance clinical outcomes.
- Communicates patient safety actions and recommendations to committees, organizational leadership, and Associates.
- Coordinates ongoing patient safety orientations, activities, and continuing education programs for the organization.
- Leads projects which impact patient safety and supports the strategic goals of the organization using a variety of process improvement concepts, practices, and procedures.
- Leads investigations for serious safety events using FMEA and/or Root Cause Analysis methodologies; develops action plans and ensures implementation of identified improvements.
- Prepares annual reports of actual error occurrences and actions taken to improve patient safety.
- Manages error/event reporting through a non-punitive error reporting system.
- Collaborates with leadership to observe practices, gather feedback, and provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
- Administers annual patient safety culture surveys to assess safety perceptions and trends, and shares findings with leadership to guide improvement initiatives.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Graduate of an accredited nursing program required; BSN preferred.
- Valid RN License from Virginia in good standing or hold a current multistate licensure privilege as an RN required.
- Minimum of three years of clinical experience required.
As an EOE/AA employer, the organization will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and veteran or disability status.
Required
Physical Requirements: Constant (67-100% of workday) sitting and use of arms and hands; occasional (0-33% of workday) standing, walking, bending, squatting; ability to lift, push, and pull up to 10 lbs.; auditory and visual skills.
Mental Requirements: Possesses critical thinking and analytical skills. Ability to multi-task. Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team.
Environmental Requirements and Exposure Hazards: Potential risk of exposure to chemicals.
“It is the policy of Mary Washington Healthcare to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability who are applicants for employment or Associates.”
