Patient Safety and Quality Consultant

Not applicable to this position. 

Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination)

Repetitive arm/hand movements

Finger Dexterity

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related clinical or academic field

Master's Degree in healthcare field (e.g. MSHA, MPH, MSN, MHA), Quality Engineering, Business Administration or related field

Supplemental course work in quality improvement, such as quality methodologies/tools, data analysis, patient safety, Lean, Six Sigma, quality engineering, and/or project management

Course work in statistics

Fellowship in Patient Safety

Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) preferred
Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) preferred
Certified Project Manager (PMP) preferred
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent within 1 year to maintain position

Previous experience with organization-wide performance improvement and/or coordinating projects in an academic medical center with a wide variety of services, including ambulatory care, home care, emergency care, critical care, and inpatient care.

Previous experience applying and explaining statistical process control tools; conducting group facilitation/presentation; and designing data collection tools

Previous experience using mapping/flowcharting software and working with databases (e.g., Visio, Access)

☒ Combination of education and experience in lieu of a degree.

Current license in the Commonwealth of Virginia (e.g. Registered Nurse, Pharmacist, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Dietitian or similar) if candidate holds a professional license

Minimum of three (3) years of work experience in the healthcare environment which may include hospital or clinic setting with specific experience in the following areas:

• clinical processes

• safety & quality improvement processes and tools

• facilitating and/or leading interdisciplinary groups

• leadership (formal or informal) in a healthcare organization

• collecting, organizing, and analyzing data

• developing and making presentations

Previous experience using a personal computer and software application to include the Internet, e-mail, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.), MS Project, Visio

Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias.

Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.

General office environment.

May have periods of constant interruptions. 

Prolonged periods of working alone.  

Other: May be required to car travel to off-site locations occasionally

Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.)- up to 33% of the time

Push/ Pull (0-50 lbs.)- up to 33% of the time

Sitting, Walking, Standing

N/A

Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem Solving, Hearing, Speak Clearly, Write Legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking

Fast-paced environment, Steady Pace, Able to Handle Multiple Priorities, Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

The Patient Safety & Quality Consultant is responsible for advancing a culture of patient safety across the health system by leading initiatives that reduce harm, improve reliability, and strengthen safety processes. The role partners with executive, physician, nursing, and operational leaders to identify safety risks, analyze adverse events, implement evidence-based improvements, and drive sustainable change that improves patient outcomes.

Primary Patient Safety Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate patient safety improvement initiatives designed to prevent patient harm and improve clinical outcomes.
• Facilitate Root Cause Analyses (RCAs) to identify system vulnerabilities and develop corrective actions.
• Apply high reliability organization principles to strengthen safety culture, reduce variation, and improve process consistency.
• Promote a Just Culture approach by focusing on system and process improvements rather than individual blame.
• Foster psychological safety through transparent communication of safety and performance information.
• Identify safety trends, measure the effectiveness of interventions, and prioritize opportunities for risk reduction and harm prevention.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to redesign processes that detect, mitigate, and prevent patient harm.
• Improve care transitions and healthcare processes to ensure safe, effective, equitable, efficient, and timely care delivery.

Key Areas of Expertise

• Patient Safety and Harm Prevention
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• High Reliability Principles
• Just Culture
• Change Management
• Team Facilitation and Stakeholder Engagement
• Healthcare Process Redesign and Risk Reduction

The Patient Safety & Quality Consultant leads organization-wide patient safety efforts by investigating safety events, facilitating root cause analyses, applying high reliability and just culture principles, identifying and mitigating system risks, and partnering with clinical and operational leaders to implement sustainable improvements that prevent patient harm and improve patient outcomes.

Compensation Range

Actual salary offers will be based on several key factors to include relevant work experience, credentials, and qualifications.

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran