A Quality Assurance Nurse is an advocate for both the patient and health organization. Ultimately, the goal is to optimize patient outcomes with cost-effective care. As a liaison between the patient, provider and payer, a Quality Assurance (QA) Nurse facilitates in-depth analysis on current nurse practices. Thus, they can continue to improve patient-care guidelines and procedures throughout a patient’s term of care.
The growth outlook for QA nurses will increase by 7% from 2021-2029 [1]. Furthermore, the average salary for a Quality Assurance Nurse in California is $89,432 [2]. After gaining experience as a RN, the QA nurse job is a great path to explore with promising career growth opportunities.
Continue reading to learn more about a QA nurse’s role and responsibilities and apply to open Quality Assurance Nurse jobs at Eisenhower Health.
What is the role of a Quality Assurance Nurse in a Hospital?
QA nurses assess events to determine any over-utilization or under-utilization of services. As the primary patient informant, QA nurses work closely with patients to develop the best care based on cultural background and individual needs. In turn, these patient evaluations will be used to update current care procedures.
Additionally, a QA nurse must train, enforce, and monitor the new changes among the nurse team. Most importantly, healthcare guidelines and codes must be consistently followed. Quality assurance nurses must be knowledgeable in patient care and hospital regulations. This is achieved through hands-on experience providing acute care and attending CE courses.
Let’s examine the educational requirements to become a Quality Assurance Nurse in California.
What are the Educational Requirements for a QA Nurse?
The minimum requirements for a QA nurse are: an ADN or BSN from an accredited college, valid nursing license, and at least two years of experience in clinical nursing and EHR analysis. Naturally, certifications are encouraged to demonstrate proficiency in applications or systems.
Regarding CE courses, the National Association for Healthcare Quality offers an online certification course. The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) doesn’t have prerequisites, but is recommended to have at least 2 years of clinical experience. Also, recertification is required every two years, in addition to relevant CE coursework.
Additional credentials may be required for specific systems. However, different employers will have their own unique set of systems to operate. Thus, the complete list of educational requirements for a Quality Assurance Nurse are:
- ADN or BSN
- Active nursing license in the practicing state
- 2 years of clinical nursing experience
- 2 years of experience with EHR system
- Certification in relevant CEs, applications, and systems
Quality Assurance Nurse Job Responsibilities
The day-to-day tasks can vary depending on which department a QA nurse works in. If they work for a large healthcare organization, QA teams can be divided into different sections. At Eisenhower Health, a QA nurse is responsible for:
- Acting as the primary support contact for quality dashboard and report development
- Identifying issues that arise in their application area as well as issues that impact other application teams, and working to resolve them
- Guiding workflow design, building and testing the system, and analyzing other technical issues
- Identifying and implementing requested changes to the system to support EH quality reporting requirements
- Developing an understanding of operational needs to set the direction for the organization’s process and quality improvement
- Participating in training and working with Quality Department leadership
- Troubleshooting problems and questions with leaders, staff and physicians
- Reviewing the status of projects and issues on an ongoing basis with leadership
- Holding weekly communications with team members to discuss the status of deliverables, shared issues, end-user concerns, and upcoming milestones
- Effective use of QI and PI project management tools to manage analytics projects
Available Quality Assurance Nurse Jobs in California
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a QA nurse in California, apply to our available positions at our world-class medical center. Luckily, Eisenhower Health is located in the heart of Coachella Valley. We strive for work-life balance, enjoying sunny SoCal weather 350 days of the year. Ask about our competitive benefits package for relocating nurses.
References
[1] Best Accredited Colleges (2021). Quality Assurance (QA) Nurse: Career Information and Requirements
[2] Salary.com (2021). Quality Assurance Nurse Salary in California
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/quality-assurance-nurse-salary/ca
Originally posted on 28/12/2021