Patient Safety Observer

Job Summary

Required Qualifications

• •High School Diploma or equivalent
• •Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross Basic Life Support certification
• •Other certification requirements as defined by the certification policy
• •Effective verbal and written communication in English
• •Basic technical, clerical, interpersonal skills relevant to patient care/area
• •Strong observational and interpersonal abilities
• •Skills and knowledge necessary to provide a safe environment for all patients in high stress environments
• •Comfort working with all patients regardless of age, sex, religious affiliation or any other protected category
• •Ability to effectively and professionally communicate with other members of the health care team
• •Must be available for Nights 6:30p-7a
• •Must be able to provide uninterrupted observation with no distractions
• •Must be able to escalate concerns appropriately
• •Must be able to take appropriate action when required
• •Must be able to report changes in patient behavior or status immediately to nursing staff
• •Must be able to receive handoff report from the previous PSO and/or patient's nurse
• •Must be able to provide continuous observations of the patients
• •Must be able to maintain visual observation of patients
• •Must be able to seek help if patient appears to pose a threat to themselves or others
• •Must be able to perform room sweep
• •Must be able to maintain a patient environment in a safe and orderly manner
• •Must be able to remove objects from room that can potentially harm patient
• •Must be able to participate in hand-off of pertinent information at change of shift
• •Must be able to assist patients with ambulation under the direct supervision of the RN
• •Must be able to complete annual education requirements
• •Must be able to maintain competency, as evidenced by completion of competency validation requirements
• •Must be able to promote a culture of patient safety by participating in collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety concerns
• •Must be able to maintain a secure patient environment
• •Must be able to inform the nurse of findings
• •Must be able to identify patient risks
• •Must be able to take appropriate action to prevent harm
• •Must be able to maintain physical environment in a clean and orderly condition
• •Must be able to demonstrate safe work practices and attitudes
• •Must be able to adhere to safety rules
• •Must be able to participate in department safety programs

Desired Qualifications

• •Bi or Multilingual
• •At least one year of experience as a patient safety observer in a long-term care facility or home health care agency