Unarmed Public Safety Officer - FT Nights

About the Role

As a Public Safety Officer at Advocate Health, you play a crucial role in creating a safe, secure, and caring atmosphere for patients, visitors, and staff. Your primary focus is on ensuring the physical safety of individuals while upholding the principles of compassionate patient care and proactive de-escalation. You will work closely with healthcare professionals and Public Safety partners to support a healing environment, responding to security situations with empathy and sensitivity.

Responsibilities

• Provides security services with a customer-service approach, focusing on professionalism, fairness, and compassion even in challenging circumstances and in accordance with policies, procedures, and training.
• Inspires confidence in patients, visitors, and team members by presenting a professional, approachable, and service-oriented appearance and demeanor.
• Performs routine responsibilities during interior and exterior patrols to ensure safety and security, including inspections to identify vulnerabilities, hazards, and fire conditions, audits of Interim Life Safety Measures, patient valuables management, and thorough contraband searches.
• Assists team members, patients, and visitors by providing information, directions, and physical help; ensures traffic control and monitors conduct of visitors on premises.
• Prevents, responds to, and investigates workplace violence; responds to service calls such as combative or threatening patients or visitors and team member incidents.
• Serves as a primary resource for de-escalation, utilizing use of force when necessary (e.g., conducted electrical weapon (CEW), handcuffing).
• Performs key responsibilities to plan, prevent, practice, and respond to emergencies such as lost or abducted infants/children, fire, and active threats.
• Responds immediately to emergency and crisis situations; physically intervenes in accordance with training to situations that have a potential for injury.
• Investigates incidents that occur on Advocate Health property and completes timely and accurate reports; addresses and escalates complaints to the appropriate leader.
• Performs liaison rounding duties to cultivate close partnerships with all departments and units; delivers security awareness education to team members.
• Liaisons with federal, state, and local law enforcement and first responder agencies; coordinates, briefs, and monitors law enforcement prisoner patient guards.
• Maintains current Department training standards in radio communications, verbal de-escalation, hemorrhage control (e.g., “STOP the BLEED”), CPR, application of clinical restraints, and conducted energy weapon (e.g., TASER).
• Assists with exterior traffic and crowd control, including parking enforcement, valet parking assist, and vehicular assistance.

Requirements

• High school graduate or GED.
• Typically requires 1 year of experience in a security, related public safety, or customer service area that includes experiences in responding to emergent situations and identifying and resolving issues that pose a potential risk to patients, visitors, teammates, and/or property.
• Security Officer Healthcare Certification (CHSO) issued by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) must be obtained within two years of appointment to this role (recertification is not required).
• For North Carolina teammates, an Unarmed Guard License issued by NC Protective Services must be obtained within 1 year and maintained through training and competency assessments.
• Stop the Bleed Certification must be obtained within 1 year of hire date.
• Valid driver’s license issued by the Division of Motor Vehicle.
• Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card issued by the Illinois State Police or Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) license issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Certified in Conducted Energy Weapon (e.g., TASER) use within 90 days of hire and periodically thereafter.
• Illinois team members must have completed State of Illinois 20-hour Basic Security Officer course.
• Must successfully pass background investigation, drug screen, pre-placement physical post-offer, pre-employment, and periodically thereafter.

Skills & Abilities

• An above-average level of emotional intelligence, including empathetic and compassionate responses to teammate, visitor, and patient incidents.
• Ability to function in a collaborative work environment with a commitment to patient-centered safety practices.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure to support a safe, welcoming, and therapeutic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise mature judgment and sound reasoning while maintaining a courteous and tactful demeanor, even with verbally aggressive individuals.
• Demonstrated experience in quickly assessing dangerous situations and taking appropriate action.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to use a computer for documentation (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, database entry).
• Ability to defend self and/or others in case of physical confrontations when de-escalation efforts fail.
• Ability to communicate effectively via radio and telephone with clear diction.

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• Must sit, stand, walk, and drive throughout the workday and lift up to 35 lbs. occasionally.
• Must be able to push/pull with 35 lbs. of force.
• 20/20 vision in both eyes or correctable to 20/20 with corrective lenses.
• May be exposed to mechanical, electrical, chemical, explosive, and radiation hazards; protective clothing must be worn as necessary.
• Frequent exposure to aggressive behavior and emotionally charged situations; must be able to handle personal stress and possible violence.
• Must be physically fit to walk all areas of the facilities and grounds, restrain individuals, and assist clinical teammates with lifting patients of all sizes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Behavioral Threat Assessment knowledge.
• Use of Force Review experience.
• Crime through environmental design awareness.
• Ability to present material and facilitate meetings.

Schedule

• Full-time, 40 hours per week.
• Schedule: 6 PM – 6 AM, rotating weekends.
• This position is sign-on bonus eligible based on eligibility.

Pay

Pay Range: $21.85 - $32.80 per hour.

Benefits

• Comprehensive suite of Total Rewards, including competitive compensation and generous retirement offerings.
• Paid Time Off programs.
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Premium pay such as shift differential, on-call pay, and more based on the role.
• Incentive pay for select positions.
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.