Patient Experience Initiative Specialist- Registered Nurse

Akron Children's Hospital; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Akron Children’s Hospital is seeking a Patient Experience Initiative Specialist to lead and coordinate strategies that improve patient and family experiences across inpatient, ambulatory, and community settings.

The role blends clinical nursing expertise with performance improvement, patient advocacy, and organizational consulting, partnering with leaders to implement evidence-based improvements and sustain high-quality, patient-centered care.

Qualifications

• Education: BSN required. Master’s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field preferred. Candidates actively pursuing a master’s degree may be considered.
• Licensed registered nurse in the state of Ohio is required.
• Certification: CPXP, PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or related certification preferred; if not CPXP, must be obtained within two years of hire.
• Years of relevant experience: Minimum of three years in nursing, patient experience, quality improvement, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Leads enterprise-wide patient and family experience improvement initiatives across inpatient, ambulatory, and community settings.
• Analyzes patient experience data, complaints, grievances, compliments, and quality metrics to identify trends and opportunities.
• Serves as organizational consultant and SME for patient and family experience for leaders and staff.
• Collaborate with leaders and interdisciplinary teams to develop and evaluate strategies that enhance patient experience outcomes.
• Conducts patient and leader rounding observations and provides coaching to reinforce service excellence and patient-centered behaviors.
• Facilitates implementation of evidence-based practices to improve patient engagement and satisfaction.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Data analysis

Project management

Service excellence

Stakeholder collaboration

Presentation skills

SharePoint content creation

Microsoft Office suite

Education

BSN

Master's degree in Nursing/Healthcare Admin/OD/Business

Tools

NRC Health

Press Ganey

SharePoint

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Full-Time: 40 Hours Per Week1st Shift: 8am - 4pmMonday - Friday

Summary:

The Patient Experience Initiative Specialist is responsible for leading, coordinating, and advancing initiatives that enhance the patient and family experience across Akron Children's. This role combines clinical nursing expertise with performance improvement, patient advocacy, organizational consulting, staff development, and service excellence strategies to support high-quality, patient-centered care.

The Specialist serves as an organizational resource and subject matter expert, partnering with leaders, providers, and interdisciplinary teams to identify opportunities, develop evidence-based strategies, implement sustainable solutions, and evaluate outcomes related to patient satisfaction, engagement, communication, and quality performance. The position exercises independent judgment in recommending and implementing patient experience strategies that support organizational priorities and improve overall care experience.

Responsibilities:

1. Leads enterprise-wide patient and family experience improvement initiatives across inpatient, ambulatory, and community-based settings.
2. Analyzes patient experience data, complaints, grievances, compliments, and quality metrics to identify trends, prioritize opportunities, and recommend improvement strategies.
3. Serves as an organizational consultant and subject matter expert for patient and family experience, providing guidance to leaders, providers, and staff on patient-centered care and service excellence.
4. Collaborate with organizational leaders and interdisciplinary teams to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies that enhance patient and family experience outcomes.
5. Conducts patient and leader rounding observations and provides coaching to reinforce service excellence standards, effective communication, and patient-centered behaviors.
6. Facilitates the implementation of evidence-based practices that improve patient engagement, communication, satisfaction, and overall experience outcomes.
7. Develops and delivers education, training, and coaching programs related to patient experience, communication, empathy, service recovery, de-escalation, and customer service excellence.
8. Leads and participates in organizational quality improvement initiatives, committees, and workgroups focused on advancing patient and family experience.
9. Monitors, evaluates, and communicates patient experience trends, outcomes, and organizational performance metrics to leadership, providing recommendations for continuous improvement and sustainability.
10. Leads and supports culture-building initiatives that promote accountability, compassion, safety, inclusion, and excellence in care delivery while supporting departmental and organizational goals as needed.

Other information:

Technical Expertise

1. Excellent interpersonal communication, facilitation, conflict resolution, coaching, and presentation skills.
2. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data and translate findings into actionable improvement strategies.
3. Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and competing deadlines.
4. Strong understanding of patient and family-centered care principles, patient experience methodology, service recovery, and healthcare quality improvement practices.
5. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with all levels of the organization, including physicians, leaders, and frontline staff.
6. Experience with patient experience measurement platforms and databases, including NRC Health, Press Ganey, or similar systems, preferred.
7. Experience with performance improvement methodologies, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent process improvement frameworks preferred.
8. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required. Experience creating and maintaining SharePoint content preferred.
9. Ability to exercise independent judgment, provide consultation, and influence outcomes without direct supervisory authority.

Education and Experience

1. Education: BSN required. Master\'s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field required. Candidates actively pursuing a master\'s degree may be considered.
2. Licensed registered nurse in the state of Ohio is required.
3. Certification: Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP), Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma, or related certification preferred. If not CPXP certified upon hire, certification must be obtained within two years of employment.
4. Years of relevant experience: Minimum of three years of experience in nursing, patient experience, quality improvement, organizational development, healthcare operations, or related field required.
5. Years of experience supervising: None.

Full Time

FTE: 1.000000

Status: Onsite