BURN RESEARCH STUDY ASSISTANT

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UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

UW’s Burn Center has an exciting opportunity for a Research Study Assistant within the Division of Trauma, Burn & Critical Care, in UW School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery. 

POSITION PURPOSE
The purpose of this position is for a full-time (1.0 FTE) Research Study Assistant (RSA) to join the team at the UW Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center within the Burn Model System (BMS) program of research. Under the supervision of the BMS Study Manager, this position will assist in the operation of clinical research studies involving investigation of outcomes for survivors of burn injury to include research aimed at the recovery and reintegration of burn survivors.  This requires knowledge and skills specific to the assessment and treatment of patients with burns.

The successful candidate will have excellent oral and written communication skills, high-level organization, and the flexibility to work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. They should have a demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple tasks in a busy work environment. They also should have the ability to solve problems independently and be able to use provided resources effectively.

Our Mission and How This Position Contributes:
Department Mission:
The Department of Surgery is a large department within the School of Medicine, with surgeons practicing at all our locations and in eight surgical subspecialties. The UW Department of Surgery is guided by our mission of providing compassionate and high-quality patient care, training future generations of surgical leaders, and conducting research in a collegial environment that embraces diversity and promotes inclusiveness.

Division/Center Mission:
Harborview Medical Center is a comprehensive healthcare facility dedicated to providing specialized care for a broad spectrum of patients from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the most vulnerable residents of King County. As the only designated Level I adult and pediatric trauma and verified burn center in the state of Washington, Harborview serves as the regional trauma and burn referral center for Alaska, Montana and Idaho and the disaster preparedness and disaster control hospital for Seattle and King County.

Since opening in 1974, the Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center has treated nearly 20,000 patients from across Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana—one-third of which were children. The survival rate for patients treated at Harborview's burn center is over 97 percent. Our program's effectiveness is largely due to our team approach. General surgeons work closely with plastic surgeons and rehabilitation specialists to help patients recover quickly and get back to their lives. Our multidisciplinary group also includes physical and occupational therapists, social workers, specialized nursing staff, psychologists, vocational rehabilitation therapist, dietitians, pharmacists, and pediatricians. The Regional Burn Center also treats patients with severe skin diseases, such as a skin-sloughing disorder known as toxic epidermal necrolysis, purpura fulminans and necrotizing fasciitis. In addition to excellent clinical care and training the next generation of burn care providers, research is a vital part of our mission. Our faculty have obtained more than $25 million in grants for projects ranging from major clinical trial firsts to basic research on inflammatory responses and injuries.

This position is a key part of the ability of the Regional Burn Center to fulfill its mission, in particular, join the team at the UW Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center within the Burn Model System (BMS) program of research.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This individual will report to the Burn Research Study Manager. The major duties of this position are:

Conduct Burn Model System (BMS) Research Activities - 80%
• Screen patients who are admitted to the Burn Service using the inclusion/exclusion criteria of research protocols to determine enrollment eligibility.
• Conduct consent discussions with patients and families, in-person and using e-consent methods.
• Extract medical and information from subjects’ clinical records using EPIC while maintaining confidentiality of subject records.
• Collect study data per research protocols, enter data into electronic data capture (EDC; REDCap) sites designated by each study and monitor data quality control through auditing.
• Process subjects’ biological samples according to research protocols and if needed, prepare for shipping to core laboratories, to include HMC R&T.

Perform and participate in UW Regional Burn Center Research Activities - 20%
• Maintain professional correspondence between study sponsor (NIDILRR) and study related groups (e.g., other BMS funded sites).
• Attend daily wound rounds and biweekly interdisciplinary Burn Service rounds.
• Attend monthly Burn Research Discussion Group meetings.
• Assist in preparing presentations for dissemination, publication, and educational purposes.

• Assist in preparing and submitting regulatory paperwork to local and central Internal Review Boards (IRBs) and study sponsor (Annual Performance Report).
• Assist in onboarding additional research team members and volunteers.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI):
The Department of Surgery strives to dismantle systemic racism, eliminate healthcare disparities, and promote health equity in our work. Racism and intolerance have no place in our community. We celebrate our multitude of intersecting identities and commit to the ongoing effort of creating an inclusive and supportive workplace climate.

All staff in the Department of Surgery are asked to demonstrate and develop the following core competencies:
1. Quality Focus: strives to deliver the best possible service and results, and continuously seeks opportunities for improvement.
• Key attributes: accuracy, customer service, continuous improvement, problem solving, and self-development.
2. Planning & Organization: completes work in a timely, efficient, and resourceful manner
• Key attributes: priority setting, efficiency, resourcefulness, adaptability and flexibility, organizational awareness, and initiative
3. Teamwork & Relationship Building: builds and fosters positive working relationships with others to achieve shared objectives.
• Key attributes: collaboration, communication, emotional intelligence, recognition, and accountability, and integrity
4. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: values and honors diverse experiences and perspectives, strives to create welcoming and respectful work environments including dismantling structures of oppression, promotes and contributes to a culture of access, opportunity, and justice.
• Key attributes: respect, cultural humility, inclusiveness, advocacy, and commitment

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education & Experience:
Two-years of college-level course work in a relevant academic area AND one year of appropriate experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Office suite of products.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Work or volunteer experience in a burn inpatient setting.
• Experience working with EPIC and REDCap.
• Experience with basic laboratory techniques and sample processing (Pipetting, centrifuging, sample shipments).

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
• This is a patient-facing, mainly on-site position.
• Occasional remote work may be possible, dependent upon study-related procedures.
• The Burn Research Study Assistant will maintain communication between study team members via a secure messaging application.
• Required to handle some biologic specimens as part of the study.

Equivalent education/experience can substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. Candidates of non-traditional educational or experiential backgrounds are invited to apply. Please address applicability of education and experience in your resume.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement:
In addition, as a part of your application process, we ask that you provide a statement demonstrating your experience with or commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI). The following may be used as a guide in helping you to prepare your statement:
1. Define what your values are as they relate to your understanding of the terms Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
2. Describe your past and/or present experience with EDI (workplace, volunteer, or other experience of significance).
3. What EDI implementations or efforts would help create a healthy and safe work environment for you?
4. How would you contribute to promoting EDI efforts/initiatives in the workplace?

Please make your statement part of your cover letter or resume and limit the word count to 300-400 words.

We hope you will apply and please learn more about our department, values, and core competencies at https://uwsurgery.org/about/staff/.