Quality and Patient Experience Leader Inpatient Respiratory Therapist

Children's Nebraska•Omaha, NE

About The Position

The Quality and Patient Experience Leader Inpatient Respiratory Therapist serves as the local and departmental leader for patient safety, quality, and patient experience improvement within a defined patient care area. The role partners with department leaders to set priorities aligned with strategic goals, engages clinical team members in sustainable improvements, and advances efforts to prevent patient harm. The leader develops expertise in quality improvement, change management, high reliability, influence, and project management while mastering organizational leadership competencies. The position combines quality and patient experience leadership with direct respiratory care. It supports a culture of safety and high reliability, uses evidence-based improvement methods, analyzes and communicates performance data, facilitates event reviews, and supports Hospital-Acquired Condition initiatives. It also trains and mentors team members, collaborates across disciplines to implement evidence-based practice changes, and leads initiatives to improve patient and family satisfaction. Direct patient care is part of the role, including maintaining respiratory care proficiency and serving as a clinical role model.

Requirements

Associate's degree from an accredited school of respiratory care.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of respiratory care or a health-related field is preferred upon hire; candidates must be enrolled in a bachelor's program within six months of hire.
1–3 years of respiratory experience, including at least 1 year in neonatal or pediatric respiratory care.
State licensure as a Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) upon hire.
Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential upon hire.
Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential upon hire.
Registered Respiratory Therapist Neonatal-Pediatric Specialist (RRT-NPS) credential upon hire.
Basic Life Support (BLS) through the American Heart Association upon hire.
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) through the American Heart Association within 180 days.
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) within 2 years, or Certified Professional in Patient Safety within 2 years.
Ability to manage changing duties efficiently and remain composed under stressful conditions and competing requests; demonstrated prioritization skills.
Ability to work well with others.
Strong facilitation skills and knowledge of performance improvement.
Ability to promote teamwork and facilitate collaboration.
Ability to develop and execute departmental policies and procedures regarding security, safety, and traffic/parking.
Knowledge and use of personal computers.
Project management skills.
Strong oral and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of respiratory care or a health-related field upon hire.
Six Sigma Green Belt.
Certified Patient Experience Professional.

Responsibilities

Lead and promote a departmental culture of high reliability, quality, and safety.
Use Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Apparent Cause Analysis (ACA), and other evidence-based methods to identify system opportunities and implement sustainable change.
Apply quality improvement tools and principles to reduce patient harm and improve patient and family experiences.
Assign accountability for improvement activities and monitor execution of action plans.
Collect, oversee, analyze, and display data for clinical and leadership audiences.
Develop and maintain visual dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators to track safety and quality metrics.
Notify leadership of out-of-range metrics and develop action plans to address underperforming areas.
Advise on or seek resources to determine effective measures and metrics for improvement initiatives.
Facilitate cause analyses and work with responsible staff to complete action items.
Develop and standardize safety-event documentation templates and collaborate with the Quality and Patient Safety Department on formal RCA processes.
Support Hospital-Acquired Condition reporting, lead related action planning in departmental meetings, and ensure participation in organization-wide initiatives.
Provide formal and just-in-time training on quality improvement and patient safety to staff and leaders.
Orient, develop, and mentor respiratory therapists and team members involved in safety programs; document development using skill checklists and performance tools.
Coach team members and support their professional growth through evaluation of applied knowledge in practice.
Work with department leaders to develop collaborative, team-based improvement approaches.
Partner with shared governance councils, nursing, respiratory therapy, and physician leaders to promote evidence-based practice changes.
Integrate quality initiatives with broader clinical and operational goals, including clinical excellence and patient satisfaction.
Lead development of, and team compliance with, evidence-based bundles and tools such as SPS tools, K-Cards, and audits.
Work with department leadership to define and pursue annual patient experience goals.
Develop and implement evidence-based strategies to improve patient satisfaction and engagement.
Conduct patient experience rounds to identify opportunities and reinforce service excellence behaviors.
Provide expertise and leadership on communication and service recovery best practices.
Serve as a clinical role model and provide direct patient care as needed to support departmental priorities.
Deliver proficient respiratory care and document assessments, interventions, outcomes, and patient responses accurately.
Apply clinical and educational expertise to promote professional practice and quality outcomes.