Improvement Specialist- Duke Primary Care

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke Primary Care

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke Primary Care, which offers family, adolescent, and internal medicine services as well as urgent, general pediatric, and virtual care at nearly 50 clinic locations across central North Carolina.

Position Summary

The Improvement Specialist supports continuous improvement efforts by providing coaching, facilitation, and consulting on process improvement and change management principles. The Improvement Advisor works with multidisciplinary teams, including clinical and operational staff, to enhance patient-centered care by applying continuous improvement (CI) tools and methods, aligning with the Duke Quality System. This role emphasizes advising clinicians and teams on problem solving, ensuring improvements are integrated into routine operations and fostering a culture of excellence in patient care. This position does not directly manage staff but serves as a key resource and change agent, influencing the improvement of patient experience initiatives throughout the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Patient Experience Improvement (50%)

• Collaborate with clinical and operational teams to identify and address obstacles impacting patient satisfaction, access, and communication
• Analyze data and feedback from patients to identify trends and improvement opportunities
• Facilitate team discussions and workshops to develop actionable plans for enhancing patient-centered care
• Support the implementation of initiatives to improve the overall patient experience, ensuring alignment with Duke Health's mission and values

Coaching and Training (30%)

• Provide one-on-one and group coaching to leaders and staff on continuous improvement principles and tools, including but not limited to A3, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and process mapping.
• Teach fundamental concepts of patient experience improvement, including effective communication, empathy, and service recovery techniques.
• Assist in the development and delivery of training programs tailored to improving patient satisfaction metrics.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration (10%)

• Build relationships with key stakeholders, including department managers, nurses, and other caregivers, to gain insights into patient care processes.
• Act as a liaison between leadership and front-line staff to align improvement efforts with organizational goals.
• Facilitate cross-functional discussions to promote a shared understanding of patient experience challenges and solutions.

Measurement and Reporting (10%)

• Track and monitor key patient satisfaction metrics to assess the impact of improvement efforts.
• Develop and present reports that highlight progress, successes, and areas for further improvement.
• Ensure that all patient experience initiatives are data-driven and focused on measurable outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, nursing, or a related field required.

Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in healthcare or a related field preferred.
• Masters degree can serve as 2 years of experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Foundational knowledge of continuous improvement tools and methodologies (e.g., PDSA cycles, root cause analysis).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and motivate diverse teams.
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools (Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with survey tools is a plus.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to build relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.