Job Description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile Non Union Hourly - Research Assistant /Technician 4

Job Title Research Assistant, ADE Research Program

Department Hohl Laboratory | Department of Emergency Medicine | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range $31.19 - $36.59 CAD Hourly

Posting End Date March 4, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date Mar 10, 2025

This position is located within a health-care facility, therefore, the successful candidate will be required to provide verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by a provincial health mandate.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The primary focus of the Research Assistant is to conduct qualitative research activities within a CIHR-funded research program on adverse drug events (ADEs), health information technology development, and integration and implementation. The incumbent will work closely within the existing research group to conduct qualitative aspects of a large multicenter CIHR-funded research study, develop implementation evaluations in numerous sectors of health, and support stakeholder engagement with the health authorities and Ministry of Health.

Organizational Status

The ADE research program is a CIHR-funded research program lead by UBC researcher Dr. Hohl that completes both qualitative and quantitative studies in the field of medication safety, health information technology and substance misuse.

A key project is the implementation, scale-up and sustainability of ActionADE. ActionADE is a software application that enables standardized rapid user-friendly documentation of ADEs by frontline care providers using unambiguous terminology. After integration with other health information systems it will enable communication of ADE information to electronic medical record systems including to PharmaNet, and provide informational continuity about ADEs between care providers and across health sectors. ActionADE has been implemented in nine hospitals at Vancouver Coastal Health. The team is evaluating the effect of communicating ADE information electronically between care providers and across health sectors on health outcomes using a randomized controlled trial design. Qualitative implementation evaluations will be completed in each phase of the research.

In the near future, numerous additional qualitative research projects will be launched related to ActionADE and the ADE research program more broadly to evaluate the health information technology\xe2\x80\x99s use for other care providers, patients and in other health settings (e.g., long-term care), and for other aspects of medication safety (e.g., for substance misuse). Additional studies will include qualitative research in substance misuse and in other areas.

Individual projects are overseen by Steering Committees in which patient partners and stakeholder groups participate. Steering Committees include members from the health authorities, the Lower Mainland Consolidated Pharmacy, the Ministry of Health (MoH), the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council and the College of Pharmacists of BC.

Work Performed

• Conducts literature reviews and content analyses
• Assist in writing grant applications, ethics applications, data access applications, and publication materials.
• Assist on the design of qualitative studies and write associated research protocols and interview scripts
• Drafts and reviews documents related to ethics submissions, amendments and renewals as well as hospital approvals.
• Engages with patient care managers, physicians, nurses and pharmacists in clinical areas where qualitative studies are being completed.
• Engages with people with lived/living experience and patient partners
• Verifies and updates study documentation
• Identifies and consents eligible qualitative research study participants
• Conducts qualitative data collection, including ethnographic workplace observations, interviews, focus groups, surveys and questionnaires for ongoing studies.
• Maintains data collection tools and databases for study tracking and data analyses across studies; ensures harmonization of procedures across studies.
• Codes data and performs analyses, identifies emerging themes, interprets data using qualitative research software
• Drafts, reviews and edits manuscripts, abstracts and presentations and lay summaries of research findings for key stakeholder groups and lay press.
• Monitors, assesses, documents and reports to the Principal Investigator, institutional study sponsors and Steering Committees on individual studies at required intervals on the following: study enrolment to find reasons for participant refusal to participate, study progress for barriers and facilitators, and review of protocols for input on clinical resources being impacted by qualitative research activities.
• Identifies emerging themes across individual studies for future qualitative research.
• Ensures study timelines are being met and troubleshoots delays.
• Reports regularly to study investigators on study activities/concerns and progress of research.
• Travels off-site (i.e., to different health authorities, to community pharmacies and to offsite meetings with stakeholders) for research activities.
• Captures qualitative data at different times of the day and days of the week based on project needs
• Ensures qualitative studies are performed according to ethical guidelines and Good Clinical Practice Guidelines (GCP)
• Helps train other qualitative research assistants.
• Monitors and provides weekly updates on the day-to-day progress of qualitative studies to the principal investigator and implementation lead.
• Attends team meetings; takes minutes for meetings as required.
• Helps with scheduling
• Performs other related duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Research Assistant will work under the supervision of the Project Leads and Principal Investigator Dr. Corinne Hohl, Implementation Lead, and will take direction from external consultants. The incumbent will work laterally with other project coordinators and research coordinators. He/she works with latitude and work is measured in terms of the contribution to the team\'s achievement of qualitative research objectives.

Supervision Received

The Research Assistant will work under the supervision of the Project Leads and Principal Investigator Dr. Corinne Hohl, Implementation Lead, and will take direction from external consultants. The incumbent will work laterally with other project coordinators and research coordinators. He/she works with latitude and work is measured in terms of the contribution to the team\'s achievement of qualitative research objectives.

Supervision Given

The incumbent will be responsible for training and supervising other, junior qualitative research assistants (e.g., volunteers or students).

Consequence of Error/Judgment

The Research Assistant is required to participate in and conduct all work-related activities in an ethical manner and to maintain strict confidentiality where required. Exercising poor judgment and lack of appropriate consultation with other team members can adversely affect the viability and validity of any research project and the research program as a whole. This could compromise the Department\'s ability to secure funding for future projects, or to engage in multi stakeholder projects in the future.

Exercising poor judgment and lack of appropriate consultation may risk a multi-million dollar investment by CIHR, the Ministry of Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.

Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a university degree in a relevant discipline or technical program and a minimum four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Some positions may require a graduate degree.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one\xe2\x80\x99s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one\xe2\x80\x99s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Masters degree in qualitative research is preferred.

Experience: Minimum of three years experience as qualitative research assistant or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience working in a health setting or with health information technology is an asset.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to analyze problems, identify key information and issues, and effectively resolve.
• Effective organizational and planning skills.
• Ability to exercise appropriate tact, discretion, confidentiality and good judgment in all matters.
• Ability to work independently with appropriate initiative, as well as effectively with others in a team environment.
• Ability work accurately, and under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Ability to effectively use MS Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet searches, and NVivo or other qualitative analysis software.
• Knowledge in implementation science, system science, organizational behavior is an asset.

University of British Columbia