Patient Safety Officer earns credential

Photo By Vincent Byrd | Ofelia O’Donnell, chief of patient safety at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, earned her Patient Safety Credential from The Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. This award recognizes O’Donnell, as a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS).  

EL PASO , TX, UNITED STATES

11.05.2021

Story by Vincent Byrd 

William Beaumont Army Medical Center

Ofelia O’Donnell is very humble and shy, but recently she obtained a vital credential award by Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety (CBPPS) that left her speechless.

O’Donnell has worked at William Beaumont Army Medical Center since 2011 and has been a patient safety officer for five years.

“I worked as a process improvement coordinator on the floor, and I had the opportunity to work on several projects. This inspired me to look beyond that department. The actions of my colleagues and leaders motivated and inspired me to want to do more. That led to patient safety. I started as an officer and was promoted to supervisory role. This role has allowed me the opportunity to collaborate with our frontline team members and leaders throughout the organization,” said O’Donnell.

The CBPPS was established by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) as a separate organizational entity in 2012.

“The certification in patient safety establishes core standards for the patient safety field, benchmarks necessary requirements for healthcare professionals, and sets the expected proficiency level for the discipline,” said O’Donnell.

Effective May 1, 2017, NPSF merged with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). CBPPS was created to advance, standardize, and promote patient safety knowledge competencies for health care professionals.

“Earning this credential attests to Ofelia’s professional competency in patient safety science and application,” said Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, president, CBPPS. “This achievement demonstrates her expertise in this critical discipline and positions her among those committed to and leading patient safety work.”

“The Patient Safety program is an evidence-based program that provides education and training to our frontline team members enabling them to promote high reliability and a culture of safety to prevent harm. The program applies evidenced based research into practice to achieve positive outcomes,” said O’Donnell.

O’Donnell’s associates expressed how avid she is about patient safety.

“Ms. Ofelia is very passionate about the role of patient safety within the organization. She takes pride in knowing that every patient and beneficiary of the organization receives the very best care that they are entitled too. She views her role, and the role of the patient safety team, as consultants to the organization. She can often be heard saying that their success is our success,” said Monica Romero, patient safety officer, WBAMC.

Dr. Stacey Frazier, deputy commander for quality and safety at WBAMC commented on O’Donnell’s knowledge and competency as a patient safety officer.

“Ms. O’Donnell is a fantastic Patient Safety Manager. She has a wealth of knowledge and still continues to pursue educational opportunities to improve her skillset. Ms. O’Donnell uses her knowledge and compassion every day to improve the care processes at WBAMC,” said Frazier.

• Date Taken: 11.05.2021
• Date Posted: 11.05.2021 14:15
• Story ID: 408780
• Location: EL PASO , TX, US