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 with the ability to flex up to 0.4 FTE with patient care on the 3E Children's Seashore House unit. The 3 East Seashore House is a 15-bed general pediatrics unit that primarily cares for patients with asthma, bronchiolitis, and malnutrition/failure to thrive. Over the past year, the unit has cared for over 1,000 patients, with an average age at admission of 2.5 years old and a median length of stay of 1.5 days. The SQS 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). This role utilizes the CHOP improvement framework to sustain and spread improvements, partnering effectively with nursing and medical leadership to determine improvement priorities aligned with organizational goals. The SQS develops strong working teams, inspires clinical area members to engage in improvements for high outcomes, and works towards zero preventable harm. The role also involves developing and advancing expertise in quality improvement, change management, high reliability, influence, and project management, while fully mastering organizational leadership competencies.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Develops, implements, evaluates, and sustains an effective microsystem based safety and quality program.
In collaboration with the NM and medical director, develops and communicates 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 (Healthcare Performance Improvement consultants, 2008): 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 (sensitivity to operations, reluctance to simplify, preoccupation with failure, deference to expertise, and resilience) to safety and quality issues whenever possible.
Integrates improvement initiatives to achieve overall patient outcomes i.e. assures clinical improvement initiatives also promote excellent patient/family experience.
Orients, develops and mentors lead nurses of the working teams that are linked within the safety program.
Partners with nurse manager or clinical supervisor when members of initiative teams are challenged in meeting their responsibilities.
Applies the CHOP Improvement framework to all improvement work.
Assures 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 to inform all microsystem staff of the status of improvement efforts.
Coordinates action-oriented, outcomes-oriented, microsystem improvement initiatives.
Ensures all initiatives have specific project timelines and that the work stays on the expected track.
Actively utilizes project management skills.
Whenever possible, scopes the work to ensure that achievements are possible i.e. break large goals into sub-projects that lead to the systematic achievement of the goal.
Advises and/or seeks resources to determine effective measures and metrics for improvement initiatives; assures 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 plan to assure practice change has occurred and is sustained.
Role models self confidence in making necessary changes.
Reevaluates improvement plans and make adaptations when anticipated outcomes are not achieved.
Promotes the notion of adapt, adopt, and/or abandon so that initiatives do not become ‘stuck at mediocre results.
Fluent and facile in improvement methodology and tools; serves as a resource to improvement teams.
Assures sustainment plan is considered and incorporated in the beginning of each project.
Applies force field analysis prior to the initiation of projects to assure it is achievable and barriers are addressed prior to initiation.
Investigates microsystem good catch (near-miss) and harmful events.
Conducts ACAs when needed.
Partners with multidisciplinary team as needed during the investigation process.
Enters, retrieves, and trends data regarding patient care events.
Assures timely, accurate completion of bedside reviews for events of Healthcare Acquired Conditions; follows standard format.
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 i.e. 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.