Patient Relations Consultant (PAM) (n-b) Pcn 1152024

Location: Fredericton area (Horizon), Management and Business Professional - Fredericton Area, New Brunswick - Permanent Full Time

Competition #: 129629 External

Posted: April 17, 2025

Closes: April 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm Atlantic Standard Time

Anticipated Start Date: May 5, 2025

Location: Patient Representative (Fredericton)

Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital ~ Fredericton ~ Horizon Health Network

Job Classification: Non Bargaining

Job Classification Type: Management and Non-Bargaining

Job Type: Permanent Full Time

FTE: 1

Schedule: Day, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30 Subject to change due to operational requirements

Language Requirement: English Essential and spoken French (B1.2 / Intermediate +)

Salary: 65,936 to 92,092 per year (Pay Band 5) (Based on 37.5 hours per week)

This is the life-changing opportunity you've been looking for.

Horizon Health Network in beautiful New Brunswick is looking for a Patient Relations Consultant to join our team!

Horizon is seeking a dedicated, empathetic, and detail-orientated individual to fill this role. The ideal candidate has experience in patient advocacy, conflict resolution, and healthcare navigation, with a strong ability to foster collaboration across departments and external stakeholders.

Why you should work here

Working for Horizon gives you a career that provides an east coast lifestyle and the chance to make a big difference in the lives of New Brunswickers. This position comes with competitive salary, paid time off, sick benefits, employer paid contributions into our government pension plan and a remote work policy.

Who You Are

As a Patient Relations Consultant, you have a strong work ethic and will serve as a facilitator, advisor, and advocate for patients and their families, promoting organizational transparency while supporting corporate investigations and responses. This role goes beyond feedback and concern resolution, engaging with staff and physicians across the organization to cultivate a patient-centred care culture. As part of the regional Patient Relations Department, you will contribute to planning, improving, standardizing, and evaluating patient relations services, ensuring a seamless and supportive healthcare experience for all.

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with a focus on natural or social sciences.
• Minimum five years experience in a health care setting including 2 years in a management/leadership position(s).
• Must have experience in mediation and/or dispute resolution with demonstrated de-escalation skills.
• Understanding of Trauma Informed Care, and Patient Centred Care.
• Competency in Microsoft Office Word (50%), Outlook (50%), and adaptable with computer technology.

Other Requirements

• Demonstrates commitment to organizational values, ensuring effective and patient-centred services.
• Facilitates collaboration and coalition-building among diverse groups to improve patient experience and quality of care.
• Exhibits excellent customer service skills with the ability to remain focused and calm in high-pressure situations.
• Prepared to take an unbiased approach working both with patients, staff and community members.
• Aware of and adheres to privacy legislation and corporate policies.
• Politically astute, skilled in conflict negotiation, and able to mobilize support across departments.
• Effectively facilitates discussions and encourages open information exchange using appropriate communication methods.
• Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills, with excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication abilities.
• Demonstrates ability to measure and evaluate outcomes, processes, and system indicators for performance improvement.
• Works independently, builds interdisciplinary teams, and fosters professional networks.
• Must be able to travel throughout Horizon as required.
• Written and spoken proficiency in English and spoken proficiency in French.

(Equivalent combination of training and experience may be considered)

Key Responsibilities

What you will do

• Program Planning:
  Ensures the quality of Patient Relations Services at the local level while upholding the commitment to standardized services across Horizon.
  Develops, implements, and evaluates all aspects of Patient Relations Services to support performance improvement, high-quality patient-centred care, and best practices.
  Fosters and maintains effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, promotes collaboration, and contributes to the organization's overall effectiveness.
  Work collaboratively with the Administrative Support, Patient Relations Office.
  Makes decisions and carries out responsibilities ethically.
• Feedback and Concern Management:
  Mediates between patients, clients, families, and staff to diffuse and resolve feedback/concern.
  Empowers and educates patients, clients, and families about their rights and responsibilities and expectations within the healthcare system.
  Provides ongoing feedback to patients, clients, and families regarding actions taken and the outcomes of their concerns.
  Engages Senior Management and the Leadership Team in complex or escalating feedback/concern resolution cases.
  Refers privacy complaints to the Chief Privacy Officer and official language complaints to the Official Languages Office for further investigation.
• General Functions:
  Ensures patient and family concerns, questions, and feedback and compliments are acknowledged, respected, documented, and addressed by facilitating communication between patients/families and Horizon employees and physicians.
  Captures, analyzes, and tracks feedback/concern data through the Complaint Database and Incident Management Reporting System.
  Supports staff and organizational decision-making by providing quarterly reports, trend analyses, and improvement recommendations to stakeholders.
• Consultation:
  Provides expert guidance to patients, families, programs, and services on patient advocacy issues.
  Responds to inquiries from patients, families, and the public, assisting with information sharing and education.
  Maintains a safe and supportive space for patients and families seeking assistance.
  Supports and advises patients and the public on system liaison.
  Consults and collaborates with the Chief Privacy Officer, Risk Management, Medical Assistance in Dying program, and other key stakeholders as needed.
  Provides consultation and information to community partners.
  Fosters collaboration and cooperation to promote organizational transparency.
  Engages stakeholders to integrate patient advocacy principles into organizational policies and procedures.
• Education:
  Promotes a patient and family centred care culture to enhance patient experience and outcomes.
  Advises and supports staff and physicians in implementing and upholding policies.

Interested? Apply Today!

To learn more, visit MyHorizonCareer.ca/management-business-professionals/ Horizon Health Network (Horizon) only accepts on-line applications.

About Horizon's Recruitment Process

We thank all applicants who apply; however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. All interested applicants are encouraged to apply as an equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.

Horizon's recruitment screening process may include language proficiency testing, clerical testing and/or behavioral assessment. If you are selected for testing, you will be contacted via the email address provided on your application. The official results will be shared with the candidate, Human Resources and the requesting manager electronically and language results will be placed on the personnel file for Horizon's hiring purposes.

Diversity Statement

Horizon is committed to enhancing our diverse and inclusive environment for our employees and patients. We believe in a healthcare system that equally supports all people regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, social background, religion, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or sexual orientation. An environment based on a commitment to diversity and inclusion supports our goal of safe and quality patient care.