Patient Safety Specialist

About the role

The Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) serves as the facility lead for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Patient Safety Program within a Military Treatment Facility (MTF). This role partners with executive leadership, clinical staff, and support departments to promote a culture of safety, reduce patient harm, improve healthcare processes, and ensure compliance with DHA, DoW, and Joint Commission patient safety requirements.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate the facility's Patient Safety Program; serve as the Patient Safety Subject Matter Expert (SME); advise leadership on patient safety risks, trends, and recommend/facilitate improvement opportunities; support strategic patient safety and high reliability initiatives.
• Conduct Proactive Risk Assessments (PRAs) and Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (FMEAs); monitor, review, and analyze patient safety events and near misses; lead Comprehensive Systematic Analyses (CSAs) and Root Cause Analyses (RCAs); recommend corrective actions to prevent recurrence of adverse events.
• Collect, analyze, and report patient safety data and performance metrics; identify trends and improvement opportunities across the organization; support quality improvement and process improvement projects; prepare monthly executive reports for facility leadership.
• Partner with Quality Management, Risk Management, Process Improvement, Nursing, Medical Staff, and other departments; support implementation and monitoring of Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals; ensure compliance with DHA, DoW, and Air Force patient safety regulations; participate in executive committees and multidisciplinary workgroups.
• Key deliverables include facilitywide Patient Safety Program oversight; risk assessments, FMEAs, PRAs, and event investigations; staff education and patient safety training programs; patient safety metrics, trend analysis, and executive reporting; corrective action plans and process improvement recommendations; annual assessment of patient safety activities and program effectiveness.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a health‑related field.
• At least 4 years of experience in a Patient Safety‑related position.

Skills

• Develop and deliver patient safety education programs.
• Train staff on patient safety principles, risk reporting, and National Patient Safety Goals.
• Support TeamSTEPPS and teamwork training initiatives.
• Coach leaders and staff on safety behaviors and reliable healthcare practices.