Risk Management
Full Time
Day Shift
8 AM - 5 PM M-F
Consistently named best hospital, Lexington Medical Center dedicates itself to providing quality health services that meet the needs of its communities. Ranked #1 in the Columbia metro area by U.S. News & World Report, Lexington Medical Center is the only hospital named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina.
The 607-bed teaching hospital anchors a health care network that includes six community medical centers and employs more than 8,700 health care professionals. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina’s first HeartCARE CenterTM and an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence affiliated with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center for research and education. The network also features an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer’s care center and nearly 80 physician practices. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year.
Job Summary
The Patient Safety Advocate serves as a contact person for staff, patients and family members who have patient safety issues or concerns. The Patient Safety Advocate works with other members of the health care team to address patient/family safety issues and concerns in a timely and appropriate manner in order to facilitate resolution. The Patient Safety Advocate provides day-to-day front-line support for patient safety initiatives and maintenance of a culture of safety. The Patient Safety Advocate collaborates with members of the health care team to facilitate continuous improvement in patient safety initiatives.
Minimum Qualifications
Minimum Education: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing
Minimum Years of Experience: 5 Years of experience as a registered nurse, including at least two years of experience in a leadership role.
Substitutable Education & Experience (Optional): None.
Required Certifications/Licensure: Currently licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) by the State Board of Nursing for South Carolina
Required Training: None.
Essential Functions
- Serves as a liaison / contact person for physicians and staff, patients and families for patient safety concerns and other clinical issues.
- Builds positive rapport with patients and their families and responds to them (in person, via phone, or via written communication as appropriate) in a warm and sincere manner.
- Takes action to resolve patient issues in a timely, respectful manner. Provides timely feedback to staff, patients and families, and physicians to sustain their trust and respect.
- Serves as a mentor and role model to staff for problem resolution and management of difficult situations. Fosters a trusting relationship with clinical staff and is approachable and receptive to their concerns.
- Provides day-to-day front-line support and leadership for patient safety / risk reduction initiatives and maintenance of a culture of safety.
- Maintains a visible presence in the clinical areas to support patient safety through rounds, real-time case reviews, etc.
- Provides recognition to staff for positive patient safety behaviors.
- Provides inservices to staff on patient safety and other risk reduction topics.
- Fosters an environment that encourages staff to speak out about errors and potential harm to patients, and supports and encourages occurrence reporting throughout the organization.
- Scans for and detects emerging patient safety risks, notifies appropriate person(s), and initiates or facilitates preventive action.
- Maintains knowledge of best practices. Benchmarks with other high achieving organizations to identify and promote the adoption of best practices that may be applicable to LMC.
- Initiates and/or assists with developing policies and procedures and educational offerings that relate to patient safety / risk reduction.
- Assists with case reviews, investigations, and root cause analyses.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Assists with ensuring that corrective action plans are implemented.
- Participates on hospital Clinical Ethics Committee and assists with ethics consults.
- Acquires appropriate continuing education credits for own professional development and maintenance of current knowledge of patient safety and risk management (minimum of 25 hours per year).
- Represents the department on committees / teams as assigned.
- Maintains required departmental records.
- Assists Director with reporting and investigation of claims to insurance carrier.
- Participates in and supports department goals, objectives and timelines to ensure effective implementation.
- Performs all other duties as assigned.
We are committed to offering quality, cost-effective benefits choices for our employees and their families:
- Day ONE medical, dental and life insurance benefits
- Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
- Employees are eligible for enrollment into the 403(b) match plan day one. LHI matches dollar for dollar up to 6%.
- Employer paid life insurance – equal to 1x salary
- Employee may elect supplemental life insurance with low cost premiums up to 3x salary
- Adoption assistance
- LHI provides its full-time employees employer paid short-term disability and long-term disability coverage after 90 days of eligible employment
- Tuition reimbursement
- Student loan forgiveness
Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of LMC to provide equal opportunity of employment for all individuals, and to remain compliant with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. LMC strives to provide a discrimination-free environment, and to recruit, select, on-board, and employ all employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including but not limited to, lactation. LMC endeavors to upgrade and promote employees from within the hospital where possible and consistent with the employee’s desires and abilities and the hospital’s needs.
