Infection Prevention Coordinator - RN

Infection Prevention Coordinator

The Infection Prevention Coordinator leads the Infection Prevention Program in collaboration with the infectious disease physician to ensure an effective infrastructure, inclusive decision-making, evidence-based approach, and effective leadership style in achieving excellence in infection prevention and control. Works collaboratively with key stakeholders for disease surveillance, prevention, and containment including the collection, correlation, evaluation, and validation of data to determine patterns and trends of infection. Implements effective strategies and actions to mitigate and/or reduce infection risk to patients and colleagues. Reports data to all appropriate regulatory agencies, governing boards, quality board committees, senior leadership, medical staff executive teams, directors, quality improvement teams and others as appropriate. Implements appropriate infection prevention and control measures set forth by regulatory agencies. Promotes colleague accountability for their own practice and leads the development and ongoing refinement of efficient and exemplar processes with outcomes that meet or exceed expectations/targets in areas of responsibility. The Infection Prevention Coordinator provides oversight, consultation and works collaboratively with the infection prevention specialist. This individual reports directly to the Manager of Quality and Safety.

Responsibilities include:

• Knows, understands, incorporates, and demonstrates the MercyOne (Trinity Health) Mission, Vision, Core Values, Actions and Promise in behaviors, practices, and decisions.
• Provides expert consultation to key stakeholders including medical staff, senior leadership and colleagues on infection prevention and control.
• Provides leadership in the management of infection prevention to promote quality clinical outcomes across the continuum to ensure care continuity and evidence-based standards of performance.
• Develops, coordinates, and implements an overall infection prevention program consistent with the markets strategic plan.
• Develops a system for identifying, reporting, and investigating infections and communicable diseases throughout the markets inclusive of clinic settings.
• Develops a system for identifying, reporting, and investigating hand hygiene practices throughout the hospital and clinic settings.
• Utilizes internal and external resources to sustain high standards of quality, financial and operational performance in infection prevention.
• Identifies and utilizes appropriate data/databases to serve as benchmark comparisons for best practice delivery of clinical care related to infection prevention.
• Collaborates with administration, medical providers, nursing, and other clinical staff leadership to identify and evaluate opportunities to improve infection prevention.
• Leads and facilitates performance improvement initiatives at the department and organizational levels related to areas of infection prevention.
• Collects, synthesizes, interprets, prioritizes, and communicates meaningful performance data to support efficient realization of infection prevention and hygiene to reduce cost and improve quality and safety.
• Continually refines and enhances the infrastructure for infection prevention in unit/department/service lines to support improvements in quality of care and operational efficiency.
• Coordinates timely submission of data/results related to various regulatory, quality organizations and surveys.
• Implements mechanisms for receiving timely feedback from providers and colleagues regarding barriers and burdens to providing excellent and safe patient care with regards to infection prevention and collaboratively works to address.
• Oversees and optimizes infection prevention and control compliance efforts and ensure that markets are in compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Authors, monitors, and implements infection prevention and control policies in accordance with state regulations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, and The Joint Commission (TJC) standards.
• Educates on evidence-based practices for illness and disease prevention and control, health promotion, and safe work practices.
• Completes rounding with the providers/leaders/nurses for infective patients in the acute care and clinic settings making practice recommendations as needed.
• Participates in interdisciplinary team rounding to identify infection prevention opportunities with follow up to action plans.
• Regularly attends unit/department huddles and meetings to share information on infection prevention practices and infection trends.
• Participates in investigations of unplanned infective events or infection risks and reports findings to involved units/departments, such investigations may include learning from defects or root cause analyses.
• Identifies potential or actual serious conditions or workplace hazards and acts effectively to prevent or resolve.
• Consults with facilities management and contractors for building projects to ensure regulations for infection prevention are in compliance.
• Participates in nursing meetings as appropriate.
• Participates in Medical Staff meetings as appropriate.
• Participates/leads regional infection prevention workgroup.
• Oversees infection prevention in the owned critical access hospitals as determined by the manager of quality and safety. This may be market specific.
• Participates in new hire education for hospital-acquired conditions, hand hygiene and infection practices.
• Participates in quality and safety meetings working collaboratively with members.
• Leads and/or supports root cause analyses related to hospital-acquired infections.
• Completes risk mitigation for construction projects with re-inspections as appropriate.
• Participates in environment of care rounds and follow up with education.
• Works collaboratively with quality and safety excellence nurses and risk management in improvement efforts for the safety of the patient as appropriate.
• Maintains a collaborative relationship with Employee Health leadership in order to limit the likelihood of infection in associates and assists in directing the follow-up of colleagues exposed to a diagnosed or undiagnosed infection.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

General Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in nursing or healthcare related field required. Master's degree preferred.
• Infection Control Certification required or obtained within two years after requirements are met.
• Requires a minimum of five (5) years experience in healthcare setting.

Our Commitment

Rooted in our Mission and Core Values, we honor the dignity of every person and recognize the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents each colleague brings. By finding common ground and embracing our differences, we grow stronger together and deliver more compassionate, person-centered care. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.