Patient Safety & Quality Consultant- Patient Safety Program- Hybrid

This is a hybrid work opportunity that requires 3 days in-office and 2 days remote. Given the weekly in-office requirements, candidates must be local to the Richmond, VA area.

The Patient Safety and Quality Consultant (PSQC) plays a central role in advancing patient safety and quality improvement across VCU Health at the system level. This position leads key initiatives such as Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI), safety event report review and escalation, Root Cause Analyses around serious safety events, and medical staff quality programs. The PSQC collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to drive performance improvement projects, manage the full lifecycle of safety events, and ensure that findings from investigations lead to meaningful, system-wide changes.

In this role, the consultant fosters a culture of safety, transparency, and continuous learning. They utilize data analytics and visualization tools to inform decision-making and track progress toward strategic goals. The PSQC also facilitates proactive risk assessments like Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEAs), supports a just culture, and promotes psychological safety in team communications. Additionally, they work to improve care transitions and healthcare processes, integrating population health strategies to ensure care is safe, equitable, and efficient.

The PSQC serves as a consultant and liaison to Medical Center team members, supporting teams with compliance with regulatory standards and meeting key performance indicators. Ongoing professional development and certification maintenance are essential aspects of the role, ensuring the consultant remains current with best practices in patient safety and quality improvement.

The Patient Safety & Quality Consultant is a thought partner with VCUHS executive, physician, nursing and ancillary leaders in strategic planning and implementation of data-driven initiatives to achieve clinical excellence at the system, clinical service and care site level. The role may serve as a coach, facilitator, or advisor as appropriate for the needs of the organization. The Safety & Quality Consultant II serves as a subject matter expert in established performance improvement techniques and strategies. The role is responsible for accelerating the successful management of change to ensure improvements are spread and a sustainability plan is implemented. The Patient Safety & Quality Consultant manages improvement projects and multi-disciplinary teams through all phases, from inception to implementation and spread. The role provides formal and just-in-time education on safety & quality improvement methodologies to increase organizational improvement capability.

Essential Job Statements

Lead the integration of safety & quality into the fabric of the organization to achieve care targets. Advance the organization through collaboration, learning and communication. 

• Implement processes for engagement and teamwork 

• Create learning opportunities to advance the organization 

• Communicate effectively in multiple venues via multiple routes 

• Ensure appropriate use of data to drive change and improvement 

Use proven methods to facilitate improvement initiatives 

• Utilize performance and process improvement tools 

• Implement change management methodology 

• Employ project management tactics 

Leverage data analytics to help guide decision-making and inform improvement initiatives 

• Design and implement data structure and plans to support initiatives 

• Integrate data from multiple sources into initiatives 

• Use statistical and data visualization methods 

Cultivate a safe healthcare environment by promoting safe practices, nurturing a just culture and improving processes that detect, mitigate, or prevent harm 

• Facilitate root cause analyses and FMEAs 

• Apply high-reliability principles to improvement initiatives 

• Ensure focus remains on process-driven solutions rather than people-driven ones 

• Promote psychological safety through transparency of data and information. 

Evaluate and improve healthcare processes and care transitions to advance the safe, equitable, efficient, effective, and timely care of our diverse patient population. 

• Integrate population health management strategies into initiatives 

• Apply a holistic approach to improvement 

• Collaborate to improve care processes and transitions 

Maintain & update knowledge base 

• Update professional knowledge applicable to the role by participating in education opportunities such as reading professional