Gap Year - Research - Quality Safety Analyst

The Quality/Safety Analyst (QSA) program supports quality improvement projects in the critical care units of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Now in its 11th year, the QSAs cover both the Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) at the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses of Children’s Minnesota. 

QSAs have a variety of responsibilities, including:

• Conducting daily Incident Rounds with nurses to document and problem solve quality/safety issues relating to patient care
• Reviewing patient charts and abstracting relevant data
• Maintaining the QSA database of patient characteristics, interventions, and outcomes
• Producing quality metric reports
• Providing analytical support for providers’ quality improvement projects
• Recognizing areas of improvement in patient care and designing projects that address them
• Opportunities for authorship on publications relating to quality improvement

Although this position does not include direct patient contact, it provides valuable exposure to a team-based healthcare setting. QSAs also enjoy a wealth of learning opportunities, including participating in interdisciplinary rounds, attending case conferences, attending Children’s Minnesota grand rounds, working with the Quality and Patient Safety Team and other teams throughout the hospital, and more. Each of these experiences enable unique mentorship opportunities with a wide variety of clinicians and allow a future health professional to gain a more comprehensive understanding of work in the hospital.

This position is intentionally designed for pre-health students seeking a gap year opportunity, and the new QSAs will be hired for the period of June 2025 through June 2026. QSAs also enjoy flexible work schedules and Paid Time Off (PTO), allowing time for the exams and interviews necessary for professional school applications.

Qualifications

• Strong interest in clinical medicine
• Bachelor’s degree (any major)
• Pre-health coursework and basic understanding of statistics
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Willingness to work in a complex work environment
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, take ownership of individual projects, and successfully manage projects to completion
• Strong computer skills including skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel

Work Hours

• 6:30 AM – 2:30 PM Monday through Friday, with flexibility to attend occasional meetings after these hours.
• Remote work every other weekend (~ 3-4 hours per weekend).
• Position does not exceed 80 hours per two week pay period.

Training

Approximately 4 weeks of training with the preceding QSAs and the Quality Safety Officers. This training will include introductions to nursing and physician personnel as well as training with the Electronic Medical Record system, QSA database, and HIPAA compliance.

Pay and Benefits

• Base wage of $21/hr, with Paid Time Off (PTO) earned during every pay period.
• Competitive benefit package including medical & dental coverage.
• Paid ramp parking or public transportation pass

Location

• Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs)
• Commuting between campuses is required

Instructions for Applicants:

• To apply for the Quality/Safety Analyst (QSA) position, qualified applicants should submit:
  • A cover letter explaining your desire to apply for this position and detailing your qualifications.
  • A resume detailing relevant experiences.
  • Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic contacts.
  • An academic transcript (official or unofficial).
• It is recommended that applicants have a strong interest in entering a career in medicine.
• All application materials should be emailed to QSA@childrensmn.org

in PDF formatting. 

• Applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis. All required materials must be submitted by 5 PM on Wednesday, 04/02/2025. See timeline for further details.
• Once all application materials have been submitted, please confirm receipt by emailing the current QSA managing the 2025 hiring process, Matthew Jensen at matthew.jensen@childrensmn.org