Registered Nurse - Patient Safety Specialist

About the role

This Registered Nurse - Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) position functions as a clinical expert and executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex patient care. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates delivery of care based on age specific components. Demonstrates performance and leadership that is broad enough to improve the care for a group of patients.

Responsibilities

• PSS trains and coordinates patient safety activities of personnel within the facility, such as infection control professionals, risk managers, and quality managers.
• PSS is responsible for translating the policies, theories, and strategies into action within the complex interrelationships that exist related to patient safety.
• PSS has primary responsibility for training clinicians, management, and all relevant support personnel within their facilities, about the patient safety program and patient safety analyses processes.
• They are responsible for maintaining clear communication between the facility and the VISN, to communicate relevant patient safety information and promote organizational learning.
• PSS performs duties directly contributing to high quality and safe patient care within the VHA.
• Duties require the ability to apply specialized principles and practices of patient safety science to ensure a systems approach to healthcare delivery.
• The PSS directly supports facility leadership in areas of planning, organization, development, direction, and evaluation of the patient safety program within the facility.

Requirements

The job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, past, current and upcoming participants of the VA Health Professions Training (HPT) Graduates, and all US Citizens.

The Registered Nurse (RN) - Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) coordinates and implements patient safety policies and activities developed by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) and is the facility's key person to help build and implement patient safety systems and promote the culture of safety within Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and for Veteran patients in all healthcare settings. Direct support is provided to the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's patient safety process at the facility level. The Patient Safety Program is grounded in the science of patient safety and encompasses multiple systematic foundational enterprise processes.

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: English Language Proficiency, Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency, Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13001066.