Summary

The Supervisor - Patient Safety Program Manager (PSM) serves as the facility-level leader for Patient Safety at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. They provides oversight - leadership - and strategic direction for the Patient Safety Program and directly supervises Patient Safety Managers and other program support staff. This role requires deep subject-matter expertise in patient safety - high-reliability principles - and leadership in large - complex healthcare environments.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• English Language Proficiency
• In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) - no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program
• Upon achievement of a State license - the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program
• (Reference VA Handbook 5005 - Appendix G6)
• OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing - possession of a current - full - active - and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program
• Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD)
• Current - full - active - and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State - Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. - Puerto Rico) of the United States - or the District of Columbia
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements - but do not possess the required licensure - may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.) Preferred Experience: 4-5 years of experience as a Patient Safety Manager - ideally in a large - highly complex healthcare system Demonstrated success leading patient safety activities - RCAs - proactive risk assessments - and large scale improvement initiatives
• Experience demonstrating leadership - practice beyond the immediate unit - and system level contributions
• Experience supervising clinical staff - managing program operations - and deploying high reliability principles
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate across diverse clinical and administrative stakeholders
• NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification
• Grade Determinations: The following Scope - Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates - and if appropriate - the level within a grade
• The Dimension requirements (Practice - Veteran/Patient Driven Care - Leadership - Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12955996
• Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I - Level I Delivers fundamental - knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies
• An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing - with no additional professional nursing required
• Nurse I - Level II Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts - cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex
• An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 1 ;OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required
• Nurse I - Level III Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning
• Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations
• An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I - Level 2
• OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I - Level 2
• OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience
• OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience
• Nurse II Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others
• A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3
• OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3
• OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3
• OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience
• Nurse III Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership - experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting
• MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience - one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III
• OR a Master's degree in *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience - one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III
• OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III
• *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees
• For foreign education equivalency the only certifying body the VA recognizes is CGFNS and its' subsidiary - International Consultants of Delaware (ICD)
• Without certification of BSN-equivalency - the VA can only consider the degree at the associates level and pay will be determined accordingly
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs and over)
• Heavy carrying (45 lbs and over)
• Straight pulling and pushing
• reaching above shoulder
• use of fingers
• both hands required
• walking and standing up to 8 hours
• repeated bending
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• hearing aid permitted.

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: Provides strategic oversight of the Patient Safety Program at a Multi-campus - tertiary care Level 1a facility - ensuring compliance with VHA - OIG - TJC - VISN - and regulatory expectations
• Supervises Patient Safety Managers - including performance evaluations - hiring - mentoring - workload alignment - and competency assessments
• Leads and oversees Root Cause Analyses (RCAs) - Joint Patient Safety Reports (JPSRs) - Aggregated Reviews - Proactive Risk Assessments - and system-level safety initiatives
• Ensures timely review - triage - analysis - and closure of patient safety events in the Joint Patient Safety Center software
• Leads facility High Reliability Organization (HRO) alignment efforts in partnership with Quality Management and facility leadership
• Oversees annual patient safety training - competency validation - orientation - and education of clinical and administrative staff
• Coordinates with chiefs of services to evaluate and improve safety processes across inpatient - outpatient - mental health - surgical - and extended care areas
• Manages ongoing data review - trend analysis - performance measure reporting - and system-level safety dashboards for leadership and governing bodies
• Provides expert consultation to facility leadership regarding patient safety risks - risk mitigation strategies - and national VA patient safety directives
• Communicates actionable events - program priorities - high-risk findings - and program outcomes to executive leadership - VISN - and internal committees
• Ensures alignment of program goals with the medical center's mission - vision - values - and strategic plan
• Serves as the facility expert on evidence-based safety practices - human factors engineering - and systems thinking
• Represents VAGLAHS Patient Safety at VISN committees - high-visibility leadership forums - and system-wide improvement efforts
• Ensures documentation - compliance - and outcomes for a large - complex patient safety program spanning multiple clinical service lines
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary - regular salary increases - potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 7:00am - 3:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized