UNTHSC PILOT PROGRAM EQUIPS THE NEXT GENERATION OF SAFETY LEADERS
SaferCare Texas generates a future vision of patient safety
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, September 10, 2019– Ten UNT Health Science Center students made history by completing the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) pilot program, a unique collaboration between UNT Health Science Center, SaferCare Texas, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
The CPPS credential distinguishes health care professionals who demonstrate competency in the following patient safety domains: culture, leadership, risks and solutions, measuring and improving performance, and systems thinking and design/human factors. The pilot is the first program nationally specifically offered to provide qualified medical students an opportunity to prepare for the CPPS certification exam.
“Ensuring future providers understand critical concepts related to patient safety is an essential part of their learning experience,” said Lillee Gelinas, MS, RN, CPPS, FAAN, Senior Fellow at SaferCare Texas, who led the CPPS review course pilot. “We chose to implement the CPPS pilot program to help qualified candidates prepare for the certification exam by reviewing the key domain content areas and test-taking strategies.”
IHI’s CPPS credential is the leading health care interprofessional certification specific to the field of safety. More than 3,000 professionals have earned the CPPS credential, representing all 50 states and 17 countries. Achieving certification demonstrates personal and professional commitment to the patients and families who trust providers and health care professionals to do no harm while compassionately providing evidence-based care.
“IHI’s mission is to improve health and health care worldwide, and the CPPS credential helps fulfill that mission by setting standards for the field,” said Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, IHI’s Vice President of Patient Safety Programs and President of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. “The CPPS course pilot group can truly be called innovators. We welcome these participants to the patient safety community and know they will change health care for the better.”
Sponsored by SaferCare Texas, the pilot was conducted with 10 Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) students who are members of the IHI Open School – Fort Worth Chapter. To qualify, participants met IHI’s CPPS requirements and SaferCare Texas’ criteria for selection into the course. The students received a scholarship from SaferCare Texas to cover the costs of the review course, practice exams, and the certification exam.
“With an estimated 440,000 deaths occurring every year from preventable errors, it is critical that future health care professionals, like myself, take patient safety seriously,” said Heather D. DeVille, MS, CPPS, OMS-II, TCOM student and IHI Open School Fort Worth Chapter President. “I’m looking forward to sharing the strategies and lessons learned throughout this course with my peers and future organizations.”
SaferCare Texas plans to expand this program into other colleges and schools across UNT Health Science Center’s campus. If you would like more information, please contact Katie Shanklin at katie.shanklin@unthsc.edu.
About SaferCare Texas
A department within the UNT Health Science Center, SaferCare Texas was founded in response to the national challenge to improve patient safety and eliminate preventable harm.
Through professional and community education, applied research, and quality improvement projects, SaferCare Texas identifies opportunities to eliminate medical errors and assure all patients receive the safest care. SaferCare Texas includes diverse health care and related institutions throughout the region, as well as fellows and scholars who represent a broad array of health care professionals, patients, and advocates. Learn more at Safercaretexas.org
About UNT Health Science Center
UNT Health Science Center is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with six schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research and health care.With a passion for teamwork and innovation, UNTHSC is driven to improve the human condition. For more information, visit https://www.unthsc.edu/
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