The Patient Safety Manager is recognized as the facility's point of contact and advisor who works collaboratively with various medical center employees to build systems and develop actions, processes, or programs to meet the patient safety program established goals. The Patient Safety Manager is responsible for maintaining clear communication within the facility and between the NCPS to communicate relevant safety information and lessons learned.

Duties

Reviewing, interpreting, and dissemination information contained in the patient safety program. The JC and Quality Patient Safety Directive is the roadmap for implementation of initiatives related to the safe patient care. Has independent responsibility for reviewing, interpreting, and disseminating all information contained in the Patient Safety Program. Develops an action plan that leads to successful implementation of safety programs. Ensures performance measure information collective from the various data sources is distributed to all appropriate individuals within the medical center quarterly. Enters data in the Joint Patient Safety Reporting (JPSR), SPOT and other safety data bases. Serves as the medical center expert regarding patient safety requirements including expectations goals/expectations and provides briefings to Executive leadership regarding medical center compliance with standards of care. Coordinates various improvement groups that play critical roles in the successful implementation of the patient safety program. Implements training programs and organizational strategies for identifying opportunities to improve customer service and process quality. Conducts regular meetings with the facility staff. This is required so that the Patient Safety Manager can provide assistance and suggestions on clinical and business practice to identify potential for significant quality process improvement opportunities. Participates in the monthly Patient Safety conference calls. The incumbent must have the attitude that building the culture of patient safety is paramount and the foundation upon which the success of the program is based. Such a culture takes time to build, and requires constant nurturing, tenacity, attention to detail, and constant reinforcement to maintain. The incumbent influences and formulates ideas and for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of the organization and VISN. Influences policy-making activities and related to patient safety and the overall functioning of administrative and clinical programs. Collaborate with other health care staff to establish and maintain programs that cross service and/or discipline limes and influence organizational mission and health care and is non-bargaining. The incumbent serves as the point of Contact for Patient Safety Alerts, Patient Safety Advisories and Patient Safety Notices and such disseminates and documents ensuring all actions and recommendations are completed and uploaded to the software center timely. The incumbent prepares and/or reviews reports involving trend analyses and ensures follow-up in the areas included in the medical center's JPSR. Collects and analyzes data and makes recommendation for improvement, immediately addressing any discrepancies. Analyzes complex and critical data and recommends remedial action. Independently ensures that all patient safety measures and monitor reports are complete, that all technical information is accurate and deadlines for reporting are met. The incumbent recommends action or adjustments necessary to achieve required performance measure goals. The Patient Safety Specialist interacts with all levels of staff throughout the facility to assure that patient safety concerns are acknowledged/documented, analyzed, and discussed to assure quality patient care and outcomes are achieved and maintained. This includes SPOT, IPEC and other pertinent databases. Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: A 15% recruitment incentive and relocation incentive for 2 years. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The approving official may authorize a waiver of the requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation of any degree in nursing provided the college or university has regional accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education at the time of the candidate's graduation and the composite qualifications of the applicant warrant such consideration. In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6) OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Preferred Experience: Experience in Patient Safety or Quality Management. Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling and pushing. Transferring patients from stretcher to stretcher and wheelchair to exam table is often required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Cheryl Thomason
• Email: [email protected]