Assistant Director

This position has direct responsibility for the development, implementation, maintenance and improvement of hospital and clinic safety programs for Vanderbilt University Medical (VUMC). This is a key leadership role in Vanderbilt Environmental Health & Safety.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in the development and implementation of Medical Center safety policies/procedures, safety education program and hazard surveillance programs.
• Work in collaboration with the Facilities Management Infection Prevention, Accreditation and Standards, and other departments to assure that the Medical Center meets state and local requirements, Joint Commission and OSHA standards.
• Responsible for the overall fire/safety plan in the Medical Center. Serve as a Medical Center liaison with Metro fire officials and insurance inspectors in collaboration with the Department of Planning, Development and Construction and Facilities Management. Assure code compliance, conduct or facilitate drills and maintain documentation as required by appropriate agencies, officials, and regulations.
• Responsible for Hospital/Clinic Respiratory Protection program which includes training and fit testing as required for N95 respirators and various powered air purifying respirators used for protection from infectious agents, chemical agents, hazardous medications, and patient decontamination.
• Collaborate with Infection Prevention, Facilities Management and Planning, Design and Construction to verify that construction activities are performed safely. Assess construction projects before, during and after work for infection control, fire safety and general safety issues.
• Manage all industrial hygiene activities for VUMC hospital and clinic areas. This includes regulatory requirements and anticipation, investigation, evaluation, and control of potential employee concerns regarding chemical, mold, radon, asbestos, noise, heat / cold stress, or other indoor air quality issues. Direct any industrial hygiene surveys or other hazard assessments performed in the investigation of these issues. Partner with the Occupational Health Clinic in the evaluation of any employee health and safety concerns regarding these issues.
• Review, monitor, improve, and evaluate the Medical Center Safety Program, in conjunction with the VUMC Safety Committee.
• Conduct environment of care (EOC) audits for all VUMC hospitals and clinics, on-campus and off-site. Develop and report results of audits to the department managers and VUMC leadership with recommendations for correction. Document and maintain audit records for the Medical Center Safety Committee and regulatory agencies.
• Participate fully on various Medical Center committees and subcommittees including:

1. Safety Policy Subcommittee
2. Environment of Care Management Committee
3. Infection Control Regulatory Committee
4. Construction Safety Subcommittee,
5. Crisis Management Committee
6. Radiation Safety Committee and
7. Others, as assigned.
8. Serve as committee/subcommittee chair, as assigned.

• Serve as key collaborator and liaison for survey and inspection-related activities. Assign applicable staff to perform swat surveys, accompany external surveyors, and serve as Safety Officer in the Command Center.
• Develop, review and provide training for various safety topics via on-line and live venues. Provide oversight for and conduct patient decon and tow vehicle training.
• In collaboration with Emergency Preparedness, assist in planning, response and mitigation of potential internal and external disasters. Coordinate scheduling and documentation off-site emergency preparedness drills.
• Assist others within the organization with the investigation of incidents, injuries and complaints. Provide written reports and documentation as required.
• Maintain current reference documents and publications related to health care safety, including federal, state, and local regulations, that are available to departments and individuals.

Supervisory Responsibility

Direct supervision of five staff members in the Hospital/Clinic Safety Section.

Monitor expenditures against VEHS budget. Manage budget for Industrial Hygiene surveys and monitoring equipment. Prepare budget proposals for new programs.

Internal: Frequent contact with all levels of administration, faculty, staff, students, and visitors including the presentation of information where detailed explanation is required to obtain cooperation. Frequent presentations utilizing PowerPoint presentation software.

External: Frequent contact with consultants, contractors, vendors and regulatory agencies.

Vanderbilt Environmental Health & Safety (VEHS) provides a full range of safety, environmental and sustainability services to support the teaching, research, service and patient care missions for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University.

Bachelors plus 8 years experience or Master's plus 5 years experience in public health or occupational health and safety or other appropriate science-related field of study is preferred. Management experience is required. Hospital Safety experience is preferred. Professional Board Certification required : (Examples include: CHMM (Certified Hazardous Materials Manager), CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist), CHP (Certified Health Physicist) or CSP (Certified Safety Professional), etc. Equivalent combination of experience and education accepted.

Applicant must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills for effective report writing, training, and consulting. Must be proficient in the use of common computer programs including, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access.

Be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be willing and able to wear required personal protective equipment including protective clothing and gloves, eye/face protection, and, in some cases, negative or positive-pressure respiratory protection.

Position requires entry into areas where biological and infectious agents, hazardous chemicals, and ionizing radiation may be used.

Click here to view how Vanderbilt Health employees celebrated the difference they make each and every day: Celebrate 2019

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your diversity -- of culture, thinking, learning and leading -- is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

VUMC Recent Accomplishments

Because we are committed to providing the best in patient care, education and research, we are proud of our recent accomplishments:

• US News & World Report: #1 Adult Hospital in Tennessee and metropolitan Nashville, named to the Best Hospitals Honor Roll of the top 20 adult hospitals, 10 nationally ranked adult specialty programs, with 3 specialties rated in the top 10 nationally, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt named as one of the Best Children's Hospital in the nation, with 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties nationally ranked.
• Healthcare's Most Wired: Among the nation's 100 "most-wired" hospitals and health systems for its efforts in innovative medical technology.
• Becker's Hospital Review: named as one of the "100 Great Hospitals in America", in the roster of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs and to its list of the 100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs.
• The Leapfrog Group: One of only 10 children's hospitals in the to be named at Leapfrog Top Hospital.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science: The School of Medicine has 112 elected fellows
• Magnet Recognition Program: Received our third consecutive Magnet designations.
• National Academy of Medicine: 22 members, elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding achievement
• Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index: 6 ^th year in a row that Vanderbilt University Medical Center was a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.