Safety-Quality Specialist - Pending Certification 3 East Children's Seashore House

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

This Safety-Quality Specialist (SQS) position is pending certification and involves 0.5 FTE for the SQS role with the ability to flex up to 0.4 FTE for patient care on the 3E Children's Seashore House unit. The 3 East Seashore House is a 15-bed general pediatrics unit primarily caring for patients with asthma, bronchiolitis, and malnutrition/failure to thrive. The role serves as a local/department program leader for patient safety and quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving patient outcomes within a defined patient care area (microsystem). The SQS utilizes the CHOP improvement framework to sustain and spread improvements, partners with nursing and medical leadership to identify improvement priorities aligned with organizational goals, and develops strong working teams. The goal is to inspire engagement in improvements that achieve high outcomes and ensure zero events of preventable harm. The position also involves developing and advancing expertise in quality improvement, change management, high reliability, influence, and project management, while mastering organizational leadership competencies.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a Healthcare field of study
At least two (2) years of clinical knowledge, skills, and experience in the area/portfolio of interest in a complex health care setting
At least two (2) years of clinical work experience in a complex health care setting
Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Ability to work independently and take initiative when necessary
Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
Teaching/presentation skills
Exemplifies foundational CHOP ICARE values and Safety Behaviors for Error Prevention
Ability to function in a project manager role
In partnership with management, holds others accountable as needed
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) - National Associate for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) - within 30 months OR Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) - Industry standard (IASSC, ASQ, CSSC) - within 30 months
Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) - National Board for Respiratory Care - upon hire OR Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) - Pennsylvania Department of Health - upon hire OR Licensed Pharmacist (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania State Licensing Board - upon hire OR Registered Nurse (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania State Licensing Board - upon hire OR Registered Dietitian (RD) - Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) - upon hire OR Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care (CPNP-AC) - Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PCNB) - upon hire OR Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C) - National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) - upon hire OR Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) (Pennsylvania) - American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certification Board (AANPCB) - upon hire
Basic Life Support (BLS) - issued through an organization that requires a hands-on instructor lead psychomotor skills verification (e.g., American Heart Association or Red Cross) - within 6 months

Nice To Haves

At least two (2) years of Pediatric experience
At least one (1) year of Knowledge of patient safety and quality improvement concepts and methods, including data collection and analysis

Responsibilities

Develops, implements, evaluates, and sustains an effective microsystem based safety and quality program.
Collaborates with the NM and medical director to develop and communicate safety/quality goals and metrics relevant to the clinical area.
Works with other leaders to prioritize and resource improvement work.
Coaches on improvement and ensures initiatives are aligned with organizational mission, vision, values, and goals.
Encourages alignment of initiatives with three patient/family centered values: do not harm me, heal me, be nice to me.
Fosters a fair and just culture of patient/employee safety within the microsystem.
Coaches and mentors on safety behaviors for error prevention.
Applies high reliability principles to safety and quality issues.
Integrates improvement initiatives to achieve overall patient outcomes, promoting excellent patient/family experience.
Orients, develops, and mentors lead nurses of working teams linked within the safety program.
Partners with nurse manager or clinical supervisor when initiative team members face challenges.
Applies the CHOP Improvement framework to all improvement work.
Ensures data-based decision making for all initiatives.
Applies project planning techniques for all initiatives.
Provides effective, timely communication regarding safety and quality initiatives and outcomes, including visual displays of data.
Coordinates action-oriented, outcomes-oriented, microsystem improvement initiatives.
Ensures all initiatives have specific project timelines and stay on track.
Actively utilizes project management skills.
Scopes work to ensure achievements are possible by breaking large goals into sub-projects.
Advises and/or seeks resources to determine effective measures and metrics for improvement initiatives.
Ensures appropriate data support is in place.
Serves as an effective change agent.
Provides coaching and consultation to staff from all disciplines in making behavioral changes.
Partners with shared governance and nursing/physician leadership to influence practice changes.
Develops plans to assure practice change has occurred and is sustained.
Role models self-confidence in making necessary changes.
Reevaluates improvement plans and makes adaptations when anticipated outcomes are not achieved.
Promotes the notion of adapt, adopt, and/or abandon.
Is fluent and facile in improvement methodology and tools; serves as a resource to improvement teams.
Ensures a sustainment plan is considered and incorporated at the beginning of each project.
Applies force field analysis prior to project initiation.
Investigates microsystem good catch (near-miss) and harmful events.
Conducts ACAs when needed.
Partners with multidisciplinary teams as needed during the investigation process.
Enters, retrieves, and trends data regarding patient care events.
Ensures timely, accurate completion of bedside reviews for events of Healthcare Acquired Conditions.
Focuses on systems issues during the investigation process.
Supports microsystem based structures and processes related to safety and quality initiatives.
Develops agendas for microsystem forums (QI meetings and/or Unit Leadership partner meetings).
Effectively facilitates meetings.
Documents meeting notes.
Identifies microsystem safety/quality trends.
Identifies the need for training when applicable.
Compiles annual report of microsystem initiatives and achievements.