Patient Safety & Quality Specialist

Kingston Health Sciences Centre; Kingston; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingston Health Sciences Centre seeks a Patient Safety & Quality Specialist to lead quality improvement, promote a just culture of safety, and coordinate incident investigations across KHSC. You will partner with leaders at all levels to implement strategies aligned with KHSC priorities and regulatory standards.

The role requires a university degree (master’s preferred), 3–5 years in healthcare quality/safety, and strong data analysis with proficiency in MS Office and Visio.

Qualifications

• University degree or equivalent.
• Minimum 3–5 years of position-related experience.
• Master’s degree in a related field is an asset.
• Clinical experience in an acute care/tertiary care hospital an asset.
• Certification in Quality Improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma) preferred.
• Completion of CPSI Canadian Patient Safety Officer course preferred.
• Regulated Healthcare Professional (in good standing) preferred.
• Experience leading quality improvement initiatives and Accreditation Canada activities.
• Strong data analysis, reporting, and communication skills.
• Proficient with MS Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality improvement and change management initiatives.
• Facilitate assessments to identify improvement opportunities and scope.
• Promote a just culture of safety and risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with leaders to align improvements with KHSC strategy and standards.
• Lead incident investigations and develop central reports.
• Partner with physicians and stakeholders on multi-organizational safety projects.
• Ensure compliance with Accreditation Canada and related legislation.

Skills

Leadership

Data analysis

Verbal and written communication

Time management

Project management

Change management

Problem solving

Decision making

Education

University degree or equivalent

Master’s degree in a related field

Regulated healthcare professional licensure

Tools

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

Visio

Job description

Career Opportunities: Patient Safety & Quality Specialist (104527)

Requisition ID104527-Posted09/09/2026-Professional non-management

Title: Patient Safety & Quality Specialist

Department: Patient Safety, Quality & Risk

Hours of Work: Temporary Full-Time Position (Approximately 12 months); Days

Union: Non-Union

Location: Kingston General Hospital Site

POSITION SUMMARY :

Partners with all levels of KHSC to facilitate the development and implementation of quality improvement and patient safety initiatives in alignment with KHSC strategy; provide recommendations regarding patient safety, quality and risk mitigation to all levels of management as required; facilitate and/or perform assessments to identify improvement opportunities and their scope.

Actively promotes a ‘just culture’ of safety at KHSC that encourages all employees to proactively monitor the workplace and to participate in safety efforts; fosters risk awareness throughout the organization.

Builds organizational capacity for improvement through coaching and mentoring, and shares knowledge of patient safety principles, legislated standards and quality improvement methodology.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Quality Improvement (QI): Provides quality improvement and change management leadership to leaders and staff. This includes:

• Leading, facilitating and performing assessments to identify improvement opportunities and their scope using tools such as Value Stream Mapping, Gemba walks (observing processes at the front line), Prioritization matrices;
• Leading, facilitating, monitoring and participating in the implementation of QI initiatives at various levels within KHSC;
• Developing and sharing standardized KHSC QI documents and tools;
• Ensuring improvements are aligned with KHSC strategy and priorities, legislation, professional standards and best practices.
• Implementing new processes and practices to maintain compliance with Accreditation Canada, patient safety standards and legislation changes.
• Facilitating and participating in the ongoing development of quality frameworks and supports within KHSC e.g. KHSC quality improvement priorities, annual Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs), Annual Corporate Plan, Accreditation sustainability plans, etc.
• Aligning with corporate and program level stakeholders to deliver on targets and performance outcomes; bring the quality and safety leadership and lens to said project deliverables to optimize performance outcomes.
• Provides leadership, guidance and recommendations related to patient safety incident management at all levels of the organization. This includes program level and critical level incident reviews.
• Researches and provides recommendations on the development of policy/procedures affecting patient safety and quality.
• Leads activities aimed at improving the culture of safety through coaching, and mentoring at all levels of the organization.
• Identifies, analyzes and shares meaningful patient safety data with leaders and front line staff to facilitate system improvements and practice changes.

Incident Investigations: Provides leadership in all processes pertaining to quality of care reviews (critical incident and program level reviews and requests stemming from coroner reviews) in accordance with legislative requirements, best practice and policy, e.g. determining actual level of patient harm, gathering pertinent facts, verifying that disclosure occurs, tracking implementation of recommendations through to completion, and documenting incident reviews in a central repository. Creates and shares status reports with program leaders and relevant committees, including the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) and Board Quality Committee (and other relevant committees as required at the program or corporate level).

Collaborates with physicians, learners and other community partners within the region to develop and implement multi-organizational patient safety and quality improvement initiatives (e.g. Diagnostic Imaging project that involves Community Living managers). Ensures improvements are aligned with KHSC strategy and priorities, legislation, professional standards and best practices.

NOTE - The above duties are representative but are not to be construed as all-inclusive.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS :

• University degree or equivalent
• Considerable position-related experience required (minimum 3 – 5 years)
• Master’s degree in a related field is an asset
• Clinical experience in an acute care/tertiary care hospital an asset
• Regulated Healthcare Professional in good standing an asset
• Certification in Quality Improvement methodology (e.g. Lean training, Advanced level IDEAS Program, Six Sigma) preferred
• Completion of CPSI Canadian Patient Safety Officer course preferred
• Regulated Healthcare Professional (in good standing preferred).
• Clinical or operational experience in a hospital setting preferred.
• Experience leading and guiding quality improvement initiatives in a healthcare setting.
• Experience leading and guiding Accreditation Canada initiatives in a hospital setting.
• Sound knowledge of Quality Improvement (QI) Science and the ability to apply and transfer this knowledge to others
• Strong leadership skills, e.g. change management, conflict resolution, problem solving, and decision making
• Skilled at data analysis, interpretation, and report compilation;
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point and Visio
• Time management and prioritization skills
• Project Management and implementation skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The applicant must be able to meet the physical demands of this position.

KHSC is located on the ancestral lands and waters of the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee and serves a wider geographical area that encompasses many Indigenous communities including Tyendinaga, Katarokwi, as well as communities within the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority. As we partner in care, discovery, and learning to achieve better health outcomes for our communities, KHSC is committed to actively advocating for and acting upon the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Calls to Action on Health.

Unless specifically stated, all job postings are for existing positions at KHSC. KHSCis committed to recruitment practices that support and contribute to building a respectful, diverse and inclusive workplace in compliance with legislation such as the Employment Standards Act and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. We welcome all applications from women, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, persons in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and members of other equity deserving groups.

Kingston Health Sciences Centre may use artificial intelligence systems to assess and screen applicants. All hiring decisions are made in accordance with KHSC policies and applicable employment legislation.

We thank all applicants, but only those selected for next steps will be contacted. Kingston Health Sciences Centre is committed to inclusive and accessible employment practices. If you require an accommodation to fully participate in the hiring process, please notify the Recruitment Team.