Perinatal Safety Specialist RN

St. Joseph Health – Bryan/College Station Navasota Caldwell Madisonville TX. Since 1936 St. Joseph Health has been caring for the communities in and surrounding the Brazos Valley. We have a Level III Trauma Center the first Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Center and the first accredited Chest Pain Center in the Brazos Valley. St. Joseph Health is a leader in critical care and the largest provider of cardiovascular care in the region. As an integrated healthcare system St. Joseph Health includes a comprehensive network of over 100 employed providers including primary care physicians specialists and advanced practice clinicians. The network includes more than 30 ambulatory clinics featuring primary care Express Clinics and imaging and diagnostic services.

Reporting to the Director of Perinatal Services, the Perinatal Safety Specialist is responsible for the implementation,
promotion, support and oversight of perinatal patient safety and quality of care initiatives and programs. This specialized
nursing role combines clinical expertise with a focus on patient safety to provide high-quality care and support to
pregnant women and their families, adhering to departmental, institutional, regional and Federal clinical and ethical
standards. The perinatal safety nurse will participate in quality improvement initiatives to enhance perinatal care
processes and outcomes, contributing to a culture of safety within the healthcare facility.
The primary responsibility of the perinatal patient safety nurse is to promote safe care for mothers and babies by keeping
patient safety as a focus of all unit operations and clinical practices.

ESSENTIAL KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
● Ensures all care providers on Maternal Child Health adhere to national clinical standards and principles and
practice of safety.
● Serves as a patient safety advocate and clinical role model in perinatal nursing obstetrics:
○ Keeps staff up to date on Perinatal Safety Initiatives, including education, training, implementation, policies.
○ Keeps abreast of changing national standards of clinical practice and the CommonSpirit Health Perinatal Safety Initiatives.
○ Disseminates pertinent safety and specialty related information.
○ Participates in patient safety or administrative rounding.
○ Presents patient and staff safety concerns to appropriate clinical forums
○ Participates in and contributes to departmental performance review activities by identifying issues and assisting with gathering and evaluating data, including corporate data entry.
○ Assists and supports the healthcare team when an adverse event or untoward outcome occurs.
○ Develops and supports the implementation of education/action plans to address events that are reported in the event reporting system.
● Implements and supports patient safety and quality of care initiatives:
○ Collaborates with clinical and administrative leadership to deliver survey results to participants. Works with clinical and administrative leadership to address themes and issues identified by the survey
○ Promotes, assists and supports competency based education. Performs periodic follow-up to confirm that clinicians have completed their education
○ Implements and supports Perinatal Safety initiatives as identified by Clinical Leadership
● Monitors clinical outcomes
○ Abstracts, records, analyses and reports Perinatal Safety data per CommonSpirit Health guidelines
○ Assesses the documentation of charts reviewed and provides feedback to clinicians.
○ Encourages staff to identify and report adverse events and near-misses
○ Performs collaborative reviews of adverse occurrences and near-misses. Incorporates findings into educational efforts.
○ Participates in Event Investigation Analysis (EIA)
○ Coordinates and evaluates briefing, debriefing and analysis of selected charts with healthcare team members.
○ Contributes to Fetal Monitor (EFM) strip reviews and provide staff with feedback on findings
● Facilitates interdisciplinary communication and education:
○ Provides regular patient safety educational programs for staff.
○ Facilitates clinical drills for high-risk situations; tracks and reports attendance
○ Promotes the adoption of briefing and debriefing skills across disciplines
○ Fosters and promotes participation by all clinicians in educational programs and clinical drills.
○ Facilitates and supports teamwork-training programs for all department members.
○ Attends and actively contributes to Perinatal Safety network workgroups, conference calls, regional meetings and annual summit
○ Partners with hospital informatics department to ensure the EHR aligns with current perinatal safety initiatives
○ Partners with the IT department to ensure smooth integrations.
○ Ensures data/information is current with regulatory agency standards as well as best practice standards for
service areas.

Required Education and Experience

● Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing required
● Master’s degree or higher preferred
● A minimum of 5 years as a clinician in Women’s Services
● A minimum of 2 years of project experience in Women and Infants Perinatal Safety
● Experience with quality improvement/process improvement techniques, project/program management experience, required

Required Licensure and Certifications

● Current RN License in applicable State
● Certification in one of the following: CCRN-NEO, C-EFM, RN-BC
MCN, RN-BC-PERI, RNC [OB, GYN, NEONATAL], RNC-LRN, RNC-MNN,
RNC-NIC, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS
● BLS
● NRP within 90 days

Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training

● Proficiency in various software application, such as google or Microsoft

● Knowledge and experience working within a Patient Safety Organization
● Strong ability to drive for results
● Strong facilitator with demonstrated excellence in driving multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams to consensus
● Ability to manage large, complex projects
● Ability to summarize complex information succinctly
● Strong critical thinking
● Skilled at facilitating geographically dispersed teams
● Detail oriented
● Demonstrates thought leadership, project management skills, knowledge and experience with program evaluation
Strategic Planning
● Utilizes a keen understanding of business operations and the
human landscape to predict impact of and drive processes to
successfully realize desired outcomes of strategy. Enhances the
success of the business initiatives by thoroughly understanding
and articulating the benefits of initiatives to leadership and staff
and employing effective change management strategies.
Interpersonal Savvy and Integrity
● Builds rapport and establishes a high level of credibility with
business partners. Anticipates conflicts and plans accordingly,
persists in spite of resistance. Uses diplomacy and tact to
maneuver through complex political situations. Is tenacious and
has the courage of conviction to manage resistance despite
overwhelming challenges.
Implementation and Results Orientation
● Establishes clear goals, formulates action plans and is able to
multitask. Makes timely decisions while considering
cross-functional implications and ensuring alignment with
mission, values and strategy. Establishes a record of producing
high quality results which are done on time and within budget
constraints. Knows how to organize people and activities,
understanding how to separate and combine tasks into an
efficient work flow. Tolerates Ambiguity
● Makes decisions and acts on change assignments absent a
guaranteed outcome and/or direction. Achieves balance within a
matrix reporting relationship. Defines and proposes alternative
solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
Critical Thinking
● Uses systems thinking to recognize issues, synthesize, analyze,
problem solve, evaluate, in decision-making and formulate
breakthrough strategies and business plans for improvement and
growth.
Influential Negotiations
● Shapes opinions and gains alignment with stakeholders through
integrity, knowledge and influence. Projects and consistently
reflects a positive image and reputation for the organization.
Skillfully negotiates to create the best possible outcome for all
parties.