Patient Safety Specialist

Purpose:
The Patient Safety Specialist is a highly visible position with Advocate Health Care that was created as a result of executive management's desire to mitigate unintentional patient harm, and to reduce liability costs and exposure by reducing clinical risks. Patient safety continues to gain increased importance as a top system priority from the perspective of health outcomes, financial performance, and the need to meet increasing expectations nationally. The Patient Safety Specialist will provide support to the Patient Safety Multi~site Director or Patient Safety Manager in the implementation of a robust patient safety program at select hospital sites. The specialist will provide support to multiple sites within the region of the Multi~suite Director, either both on~site and remotely. This position will review highly confidential data to identify events that require investigation, and assist in the coding and management of the data to support site evaluation of safety program outcomes. The Patient Safety Specialist will conduct event investigations, primarily in the form of Apparent Cause Analyses, in concert with department managers, front line and medical staff. Management of patient safety data will be a major role of the Safety Specialist. This position will assist in the development and execution of complex clinical risk reduction initiatives, in particular those related to nursing or other clinical practice. The nursing or other clinical background of this individual allows breadth and flexibility in this role. The Patient Safety Specialist will collaborate with other key divisions within the organization, including Risk Management, Supply Chain, IT and Clinical Engineering to name a few. The Patient Safety Specialist will also provide education on relevant patient safety topics.

Accountabilities:

• Patient safety event investigation (30 percent)
• Supports a site culture of high reliability through involvement in the site's Patient Safety program (20 percent)
• Patient safety data and report management (30 percent)
• Support of the site's corrective actions resulting from event investigation.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in nursing or allied health field
• Advanced degree in a health~related field preferred OR equivalent experience
• Minimum of 4 years clinical experience
• Sound oral and written communication skills sufficient to interact effectively with and influence associates and medical staff
• Sound organizational skills effectively manages shifting priorities
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve and analyze procedure and process changes
• Self~directed, works with indirect and (at times) direct supervision
• Sound critical thinking and analytical skills utilized in the cause analysis process
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel and Power Point)
• Political sensitivity to the dynamic interplay that occurs between departments, physicians, associates and management.
• Current RN or Allied Health License Candidate must be willing to attend, onsite and offsite, department meetings and educational activities.
• Maintain proficiency in department's software computer program.
• Able to travel to other Advocate sites within their designated region, and corporate meetings as appropriate, generally monthly.
• Candidate must be able to perform various physical tasks with a high degree of proficiency, such as articulating, hearing, viewing, and walking throughout the hospital.
• Flexible hours according to customer needs
• Ability to work under stressful and difficult conditions.
• 25 pounds occasionally