Sr. Patient Safety Specialist - Quality & Patient Safety

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system based in Orange County. UCI Health is comprised of its main campus, UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County.

To learn more about UCI Health, visit www.ucihealth.org.

Position Summary:

Incumbent will be responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of patients across the UCI care continuum. Responsible for spearheading the development, implementation and maintenance of a comprehensive patient safety program, including causal analysis, incident report management, safety rounds, and organizational safety training. Works with Quality, Patient Safety and Transformation leadership, clinical and medical leadership in analyzing the human, organizational, and system factors contributing to adverse events and work with them to identify and implement risk reduction strategies that promote patient safety. Manages collection, processing, documentation, and follow-up on adverse events, including performing daily surveillance and causal analysis of highly complex patient safety incidents, adverse events, errors, and areas of noncompliance. Recommends changes, policies or programs that could prevent future errors. Promotes a culture of safety by organizing and conducting patient safety rounds and addressing potential risks and patient safety concerns. Promotes and supports the Great Catch program and overall recognition of safety efforts by frontline staff and providers. Serves as a lead and a resource on patient safety activities, projects and initiatives. Supports the Critical Events Management Team in the escalation, discussion and follow-up of high severity and high-risk safety events.

Total Compensation

We offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Required Qualifications:

• Thorough knowledge of patient safety reporting systems and adverse event management.
• Strong leadership abilities, including the ability to motivate and engage others in patient safety initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy, political acumen.
• Leadership experience in either a committee or work team
• Knowledge of healthcare regulatory standards (e.g., The Joint Commission, CMS) and their impact on patient safety
• In-depth knowledge of patient safety principles, regulatory guidelines, and best practices
• Extensive (5 years) experience in patient safety, quality, regulatory and/or risk within a healthcare setting.
• Expert in conducting root cause analysis and utilizing other risk assessment tools and methodologies.
• Experience being involved in and leading safety committees and initiatives
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with various stakeholders and drive change.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to identify trends, analyze data, and implement evidence-based interventions
• Demonstrates a leadership style that builds and maintains a climate of trust and inspires commitment from others to cultivate a culture of safety.
• Consistently interacts with all members of the organization in ways that enhance understanding, respect, cooperation and problem solving
• Bachelor’s Degree in healthcare administration, public health, nursing or other relevant field
• Ability to communicate with front line staff and senior leadership in an effective and psychologically safe manner.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Related Field
• Certification in patient safety, risk management, or quality improvement (e.g., Certified Professional in Patient Safety) is highly preferred.

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Legal Right to Work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page: https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement:

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact UCI's Employee Experience Center (EEC) at eec@uci.edu or at (949) 824-0500, Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.