Judy Smetzer Just Culture Champion Scholarships

Each year, ISMP, in cooperation with The Just Culture Company, will award three scholarships for the next calendar year to a team of 3 individuals from a single organization to participate in a 15-hour Just Culture certification course.  

Achieving certification helps team members advance fair accountability and system improvements, especially in the field of patient safety. Participants learn how to manage the behavioral choices of their staff, design better systems, reduce risk, and build a values-based culture.

These scholarships will be awarded in honor of Judy Smetzer, BSN, RN, FISMP, former vice president at ISMP who retired in 2022.

Candidate Qualifications

For a team to be considered for a scholarship, they must:

• Be working currently in the field of healthcare in any setting
  • Applicants from human resources, healthcare administrations, clinical leadership, quality/safety/risk management, and academic faculty are encouraged to apply
• Each applicant from the team must have at least 5 years of fulltime post-graduate experience in healthcare (students, residents, fellows are not eligible)
• Obtain a commitment to the Just Culture model from at least one executive leader in their primary organization

Application Process

Applicants must complete the following by the application deadline:

1. Submit an online application
2. Email containing:
   1. Resumes (2 pages maximum) for each team member
   2. Team letter of intent (1,000 words maximum) outlining:
      • Team's interest in the scholarship
      • Description of the organization's current culture
      • Current infrastructure, organizational goals, and leadership support in place to support Just Culture implementation
      • Evidence of interdisciplinary collaboration
      • Ability of the designated team to manage organizational change and disseminate learning
   3. Just Culture Leadership Declaration signed by your organization's executive leader
   4. Just Culture Team Member Declaration individually signed by each team member 

Apply Now

Application Deadline: September 28, 2023