PATIENT SAFETY SPECIALIST at Universal Health Services in Washington, DC

Job description

Responsibilities The Psychiatric Institute of Washington provides comprehensive behavioral healthcare for children, adolescents, adults, and senior adults suffering from mental health and addictive illnesses. PIW is a 130 bed, short-term, acute care hospital offering inpatient, partial and intensive outpatient hospitalization, as well as specialized treatment programs for chemical dependency. PIW has an excellent reputation as an innovative hospital with caring, dedicated staff, experienced in the delivery of behavioral healthcare. Situated in the safe, historical Tenleytown neighborhood, PIW is one mile from the Tenleytown Metro stop and within walking distance to local cafes and restaurants. Website: www.pschinstitute.com The Role: The Patient Safety Specialist plays a vital role in creating a safe, supportive environment for patients and staff. As a key member of the PIW treatment team, this professional provides consistent care, supervision, and positive role modeling across the facility. They lead behavior‑based safety initiatives, conduct safety observations, and offer real‑time coaching to strengthen safe practices. Through proactive monitoring and collaboration with staff and leadership, the specialist identifies risks, reduces incidents and injuries, and advances PIW’s commitment to a culture of safety. Job Duties/Responsibilities: Provide safe escort and supervision, monitoring employees and visitors, preventing unauthorized activity, and reporting observations to leadership. Support lobby and hospital operations, responding to calls for intervention during potentially challenging situations and communicating all adverse events. Maintain a safe therapeutic environment through continuous patient supervision, crisis reporting, contraband checks, and adherence to safety and infection‑control procedures. Engage directly with patients, teaching hygiene and social skills, reinforcing treatment‑plan activities, orienting new patients, and supporting medication compliance. Deliver staff training in areas such as BLS, de-escalation, Handle With Care, and milieu management as assigned. Benefit Highlights Loan Forgiveness Program. Challenging and rewarding work environment Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300+ Subsidiaries! More information is available on our Benefits Guest Website: uhsguest.com About Universal Health Services One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since its inception into an esteemed Fortune 500® corporation, annual revenues during 2025 were $17.4 billion. In 2026, UHS was again recognized as one of Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies™ and in 2025, was listed in Forbes ranking of America’s Largest Public Companies. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately 101,500 employees and continues to grow through its subsidiaries. Operating acute care inpatient facilities, behavioral health inpatient facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located in 40 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. For additional information visit www.uhs.com. From Fortune , ©2025, 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license Qualifications Requirements: High School Graduate/GED Two or more years of experience in a mental health facility Demonstrated experience training or experience in de-escalation BLS, required Excellent communication skills Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, writing reports and summaries EEO Statement All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environm