Quality and Safety Patient Advisor (Wilson County - Local)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Lebanon (TN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt Health is seeking a Quality Assurance professional to serve as a quality improvement advisor, facilitating education, data analysis, and project management for improvements in patient care, safety, and financial outcomes. This locally based role focuses on on-site collaboration with frontline staff and leaders to advance institutional quality goals.

Ideal candidates bring clinical or quality improvement experience, knowledge of data analysis methods, and comfort with leading

Qualifications

• Clinical experience is strongly preferred.
• Quality experience is preferred.
• Experience with quality and/or performance improvement data analysis is preferred.
• Quality certifications such as CPPS or CPHQ are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with departments, interdisciplinary teams, and external entities to improve care and processes.
• Maintains on-unit presence to partner with frontline staff and leaders on quality and patient safety initiatives.
• Assists department managers in identifying, developing and monitoring outcomes.
• Coordinates and facilitates patient safety event analysis of varying impact levels.
• Develops and plans for process redesign.
• Organizes, develops, and leads project teams.

Skills

Regulatory Compliance

Judgement & Decision‑Making

Front of Room Facilitation

Healthcare Organizational Dynamics

Prioritization/Targeted Focus

Data Transformation into Information

Relationship Building

Improvement Methodology

Identification/Evaluation for HarmRisK

Strategic Planning

Data Analysis

Project Management

Time Management

Communication

Change Management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt Health: With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world‑class care to the people of the Mid‑South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Quality Assurance Job Summary

Serves as a quality improvement advisor to provide project management facilitation, education, and data analysis for improvement of systems and processes, under occasional guidance. Facilitates the development, implementation and evaluation of organizational strategies to improve clinical quality and care, patient safety, and financial outcomes. (Note: this role will be locally based in Wilson County with on‑site duties).

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborates with departments, interdisciplinary teams, and external entities, when necessary, to develop and implement strategies to improve care and processes.
• Navigates the organization to address and work through barriers and escalating when appropriate.
• Maintains a consistent on‑unit presence to actively partner with frontline staff and leaders, fostering real‑time collaboration, coaching, and support for quality and patient safety initiatives.
• Assists department managers or other quality improvement teams in identifying, developing and monitoring outcomes.
• Coordinates and facilitates patient safety event analysis of varying impact levels.
• Develops and plans for process redesign.
• Organizes, develops, and leads project teams.
• Coordinates the incorporation of quantitative and/or qualitative evaluation measures into project requests and evaluations.
• Summarizes findings to promote the prioritization of improvement initiatives.
• Coordinates communication of quality management initiatives to appropriate forums.
• Focuses on continuous performance improvement to support institutional quality goals.
• Provides instruction and consultation to teams within department to advance education and improve internal processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Clinical experience is strongly preferred.
• Quality experience is preferred.
• Experience with quality and/or performance improvement data analysis is preferred.
• Quality certifications such as CPPS or CPHQ are a plus.

Technical Capabilities

• Regulatory Compliance (Novice): Demonstrates knowledge of the appropriate rules and regulations and apply them in difficult, stressful and complex situations. Able to interpret and explain rules and regulations that are ambiguous or unclear. Directs others in interpreting rules and regulations on the job and trains others in them.

• Judgement and Decision-Making (Novice): Able to make decisions effectively and accurately in an environment which may be fast‑paced or changing. Considers a wide range of alternatives, including those which may fall outside of the scope of the task at hand, before making a decision.

• Front of Room Facilitation (Intermediate): Helping people manage The information they already possess or can access to achieve a necessary result in a timely and collaborative manner. Guide The process and structures activities using a particular facilitation methodology without content knowledge or subject matter expertise.

• Healthcare Organizational Dynamics (Intermediate): Demonstrate knowledge and impact of quality, value, and patient‑centered care in the current and future healthcare landscape and continuum of care.

• Prioritization/Targeted Focus (Intermediate): Distill down needed work to focus teams with limited resources on critical path, while keeping the larger picture in mind. Effectively message and focus teams on critical path in light of larger efforts.

• Data Transformation into Information (Intermediate): Create and Interpret data findings through appropriate methods of data visualization. Identify opportunities for improvement, translate into improvement plans, and develop requirements to support improvement initiatives.

• Relationship Building (Intermediate): Develops cooperative internal and external relationships.

• Improvement Methodology (Intermediate): Lead teams in quality and performance improvement methodology, including facilitating opportunity analysis, key driver diagrams, performance measure requirements, and PDSA improvement cycles (EA, FMEA, CTQ).

• Identification/Evaluation for Harm Risks (Intermediate): Develop a process that identifies and reports patient safety risks, near misses, and adverse events. Integrate best practices and evidence‑based mitigation strategies. Interpret and communicate findings.

• Strategic Planning (Novice): The ability to define a strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources.

• Data Analysis (Intermediate): The ability to analyze data in an accurate manner.

• Project Management (Intermediate): Planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.

• Time Management (Intermediate): Planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities.

• Communication (Intermediate): Clearly, effectively and respectfully communicates to employees or customers.

• Change Management (Intermediate): Establishes a structured methodology for responding to changes in the environment or establishing coping mechanisms for responding to changes in the workplace. Makes sound recommendations in problem resolutions. Assists in testing and quality assuring solutions.

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance.
• Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area.
• Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities

• Supporting Colleagues:

  • Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.
  • Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
  • Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

• Delivering Excellent Services:

  • Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
  • Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
  • Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

• Ensuring High Quality:

  • Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
  • Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
  • Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

• Managing Resources Effectively:

  • Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
  • Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
  • Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

• Fostering Innovation:

  • Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
  • Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short‑term challenges.
  • Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications

• Responsibilities:

  • Certifications:
  • Work Experience:
  • Relevant Work Experience:
  • Experience Level: 3 years
  • Education: Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well‑being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.

PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO. Great health care takes great people. We’re looking for like‑minded individuals driven to make a difference. We invite you to explore careers at Vanderbilt Health, where we value collaboration, embrace continuous learning and foster an environment where everyone can thrive.

We’re the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with a growing team and an expanding footprint across towns and communities throughout the region. We employ more than 43,000 people who work in inpatient and outpatient clinical care, research and graduate medical education.

Our employees also serve in critical supporting roles in administration, information technology and informatics, finance, legal and community affairs, communications and marketing, fundraising, groundskeeping and facilities, and many other departments.

Our growing academic health system has more than 2,100 licensed hospital beds at eight hospitals: Vanderbilt University Hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital, Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital, Vanderbilt Tullahoma–Harton Hospital, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital.

Vanderbilt Health is the Mid‑South's largest provider of specialty care, with hundreds of outpatient clinic and surgical locations throughout the region, and Tennessee’s only National Cancer Institute‑designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for adults and children.

We are one of the nation's busiest critical care centers, home to Middle Tennessee’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Burn Center for adults and children, and Middle Tennessee’s only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

We are the nation’s largest transplant center, and last year we performed the most heart transplants than any center worldwide.

Vanderbilt Health is an epicenter for biomedical research, winning over $1 billion in annual research awards from government, industry, foundations and donors.

We are also a national leader in medical training and education, with the largest clinical training center in the Mid‑South and the only training center in Tennessee for many adult and pediatric specialties.

We’re honored to be consistently considered among the nation’s best hospitals for quality, safety and patient satisfaction.

Three of our hospitals — Vanderbilt University Hospital, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital — have been awarded a Five‑Star Quality Rating from Medicare.

Join us in advancing health care.

Our vision: The world leader in advancing personalized health. Our mission: Personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities.