Admissions Operations Quality Improvement Specialist - UME- Orientation - Full-time

Location: Chicago, Illinois Business Unit: Rush Medical Center Hospital: Rush University Medical Center Department: UME- Orientation Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0. 9 and 1. 0)

Shift 1 Work

8 Hr (8:00:00 AM - 5:00:00 PM) Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/employee-benefits).

$25.20 - $35.60 per hour Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

Job

The Admissions Operations Quality Improvement Specialist is responsible for improving the efficiency, consistency, and reliability of admissions operations throughout the 8–9-month admissions cycle. This role focuses on managing large volumes of applications, reducing redundant or duplicative steps, improving application review and interview workflows, monitoring interrater reliability among interviewers and reviewers, and ensuring accurate, reportable data for each component of the admissions process—from application intake and secondary review through interview, committee review, decision, enrollment, and matriculation.

The position resides within the Office of Admissions and supports admissions leadership by providing timely operational analysis, standardized process documentation, and data reporting that helps the office manage cycle demands, maintain consistent admissions practices, and support continuous quality improvement within admissions operations. By supporting measurable outcomes, process monitoring, documentation, and improvement follow-up within admissions operations, the role contributes to the School’s LCME-related continuous quality improvement efforts.

The role applies structured methods such as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles in collaboration with admissions staff, Committee on Admissions members, and others in the Office of Medical Education. This role exemplifies the Rush mission, vision, and values and acts in accordance with Rush policies and procedures. Other information: Required Job

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as healthcare administration, public health, business, industrial engineering, higher education administration, or a related discipline; master's degree preferred.
• 2-4+ years of experience in admissions operations, operational reporting, quality improvement, process analysis, workflow optimization, or business operations support, preferably in higher education, medical education, healthcare operations, or a related environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively while managing operational workflows, prioritizing competing cycle demands, reducing redundancies, tracking application status, and supporting timely completion of high-volume admissions activities.
• Working knowledge of admissions-cycle data, operational reporting, data-quality monitoring, reviewer/interviewer completion tracking, and basic methods for assessing interrater reliability or reviewer consistency.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear SOPs, process documentation, status updates, and operational summaries for varied audiences.
• Proficiency with Excel and operational data tools required; experience with admissions systems, CRM platforms, reporting dashboards, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools preferred.
• Excellent collaboration, relationship-building, analytical problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills; ability to work effectively with admissions staff, Committee on Admissions members, reviewers, interviewers, admissions leadership, and others in the Office of Medical Education during peak cycle periods. Preferred Job

• Experience supporting admissions operations during a high-volume application cycle.
• Experience with medical/health professions admissions systems, including AMP, AMCAS, AAMC PREview, and customer relationship management platforms.
• Experience with admissions reporting, dashboard development, or operational data-quality monitoring.
• Experience supporting interviewer or reviewer calibration/norming activities. Physical Demands: Competencies:
• Operational data analysis and accurate admissions-cycle reporting.
• Collaborative application of continuous quality improvement methods, including admissions workflow improvement, redundancy reduction, structured PDSA cycles, process measurement, and results documentation.
• Clear technical writing, including SOP authorship.
• Consultation and collaboration with admissions staff, Committee on Admissions members, reviewers, interviewers, admissions leadership, and others in the Office of Medical Education.
• Cycle management, prioritization, and follow-through during peak admissions periods.

• Process Mapping & Diagnostic Analysis
• Map the end-to-end admissions workflow, including application intake, AMCAS and secondary application review, interview scheduling, interview completion, committee review, admissions decision, enrollment, and matriculation.
• Analyze application volume, cycle time, workload, and status data at each stage of the admissions cycle to identify bottlenecks, delays, redundant data entry, duplicative reviews, and avoidable handoffs.
• Identify recurring operational issues, determine root causes, and recommend solutions to improve workflow performance, data quality, and operational effectiveness.
• Monitor interrater reliability among interviewers and reviewers, identify patterns of inconsistent rubric application or rater drift, and support calibration activities to improve consistency during the admissions cycle.
• Review admissions-cycle procedures for consistency with Office of Admissions policies, timelines, documentation expectations, and reporting needs. Workflow Design & Testing
• Analyze workflow performance and develop data-informed process improvements that improve throughput, clarify roles, and support timely movement of applications through each stage of the admissions cycle.
• Apply Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles in partnership with admissions staff, Committee on Admissions members, reviewers, interviewers, and others in the Office of Medical Education to pilot targeted process changes during the admissions cycle, using defined success measures, data-collection plans, and shared feedback.
• Use admissions-cycle data and collaborative feedback to identify process variation, test improvements through PDSA cycles, track results, and document changes that improve workflow efficiency, consistency, timeliness, and data quality.
• Work with admissions systems and technology partners to improve data capture, reporting accuracy, status tracking, and appropriate automation of manual or duplicative tasks.
• Support interventions to improve interview and reviewer consistency, including calibration/norming sessions, rubric clarification, structured interview guidance, and reviewer follow-up as needed. Operational Quality Assurance & Review Consistency
• Monitor interview and review processes for consistency, timely completion, accurate documentation, and adherence to established Office of Admissions procedures.
• Use scoring, rubric, and completion data to identify potential rater drift, inconsistent rubric use, missing documentation, or process variation that may affect admissions-cycle reliability.
• Analyze operational trends and prepare summaries for admissions leadership that identify cycle risks, workflow performance concerns, data-quality issues, process variation, and opportunities for improvement. Documentation & Standardization
• Author, maintain, and version-control clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each stage of the admissions process to ensure consistent execution across staff, reviewers, and interview cycles.
• Develop training materials and job aids to support onboarding of new staff, application reviewers, and interviewers.
• Maintain a centralized SOP/process library accessible to admissions team members. Measurement, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
• Establish and track admissions operations metrics across the cycle, including application volume, review turnaround time, interview scheduling status, interviewer/reviewer completion, days-to-decision, data completeness, and yield-related reporting needs.
• Prepare recurring reports and dashboards that provide accurate, reportable data for each major component of the admissions process during the 8–9 month cycle.
• Share findings, status updates, PDSA results, and operational recommendations with admissions leadership and the Office of Admissions team to support shared understanding, timely cycle management, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain admissions operations metrics, process documentation, PDSA results, and improvement evidence to support CQI monitoring, internal reporting, and LCME-related documentation needs.
• Maintain familiarity with admissions operations best practices, application-review workflows, reviewer/interviewer calibration, and data-reporting approaches relevant to high-volume admissions environments. Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.