Registered Nurse Infection Prevention - LTC

Infection Control Practitioner

The Infection Control Practitioner is responsible for the implementation, review, and coordination of the facility's Infection Prevention program. The ICP ensures that existing standards and guidelines of applicable professional organizations and regulatory and governmental agencies are incorporated into the program. The ICP reviews relevant public health issues to integrate into practice, serves as a consultant and resource person regarding infection prevention issues for all facility personnel, collaborates with other healthcare professionals within and outside the facility, and implements infection prevention education programs. The ICP maintains the overall coordination of the infection control program, including, but not limited to, surveillance, monitoring, trend analysis, education programs, public health department reporting, and participation in committee memberships; inclusive but not limited to Infection Prevention, Regulatory Compliance, Patient Safety, Quality and Performance Improvement as well as those TBD or assigned.

Essential Functions

• Maintains and develops the infection control manual by reviewing, evaluating, and applying standards of practice across the continuum. By establishing, implementing, administrating and infection prevention program goals, objectives, policies, and procedures. Conducting an ongoing review of hospital policies, procedures, and guidelines to identify infection prevention discrepancies, and implement revisions as necessary. By ensuring the completion of audits regarding the implementation of and compliance with selected policies when indicated and or requested.
• Utilizes a broad base of knowledge to apply infection control principles across the continuum by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, and participating in professional organizations. By interacting with medical and nursing staff, department managers, supervisors, and employee health (occupational health) and other professional/non-professional staff members to provide resource information, resolve infection prevention and control issues, and identify new opportunities to improve services and reduce costs when possible.
• Works closely with human resources and employee health/occupational health services in evaluating any significant exposures and policies for healthcare worker by reviewing all current literature and presenting C.D.C. guidelines for evaluation in the organization while working with Human Resources and the current contracted occupational health provider or designee for employee injury / exposure when indicated.
• Applies appropriate current theoretical concepts to implement changes in practices within the organization to improve patient care and prevent infections by keeping abreast of current practices in the literature and evaluating the needs of each separate entity. By developing and coordinating the infection prevention program throughout the facility implementing the program by formulating, establishing, and evaluating policies and procedures related to patient care infection prevention measures throughout the facility, clinics, and all other ventures operated and/or owned by the organization. By developing and implementing the annual infection prevention plan in conjunction with the IPC (Infection Prevention Committee). By evaluating the annual plan for goal achievement in conjunction with the IPC. By providing education and training for all staff members and independent practitioners regarding the prevention of HAIs, and or demonstrating through consultative action with clinical teams regarding the development of standards, audits, and research.
• Manages critical data and information, including surveillance of healthcare-associated infection by providing the organization with a baseline using proven databases and formulas for benchmarking. By making recommendations regarding the prevention and control of infection on a 24-hour basis. By developing reports and statistical data for the IPC, medical staff committees, medical executive committee, and the facility's Administration, as well as other committees as needed or requested. In conjunction with the IPC, we review national data for HAIs in comparison and review the facility's data, in an effort to develop goals for the reduction of HAIs. By conducting outbreak investigations and following up when indicated.
• Assures the organization is aware and assists in compliance with regulations, guidelines and accreditation requirements by attending conferences and maintaining professional organization membership, reviewing standards as applied to each licensure and providing guidance in establishing protocols to meet those regulations. By ensuring the completion of audits regarding the implementation of and compliance with selected policies. By cooperating with the county and state departments of health regarding infectious and communicable disease reporting, ensuring all communicable diseases are reported to the appropriate county and state health department personnel. By demonstrating complete data entry into the National Health Safety Network (NHSN), Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS, and Pennsylvania's Electronic Disease Reporting system, as well as any additional submissions as directed and or required to meet current or updated regulatory requirements. Demonstrated by working with department managers to apply effective policies and procedures to the departments and facilities that ensure compliance with the Joint Commission (JC), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), CDC, CMS and other local, county, state, and federal regulatory and/or accrediting agencies. By providing information to facility committees and department managers to formulate changes in the policies, procedures, and/or processes which could reduce the spread of infection.
• Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in order to meet a wide range of service needs with daily work as well as with TBD duties or assigned by completing tasks and projects as assigned by deadline to support patient safety, quality initiatives or organizational priorities or projects that may fall both within and outside the normal job description.

Qualifications

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing required. Master's Degree preferred.
• Work Experience: 5-7 years of relevant clinical nursing experience required. 1-2 years of prior experience as an infection control nurse preferred. Previous experience which may include critical care, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, pediatric and medical/surgical nursing preferred. Completion of an approved infection control course within one year of employment required.
• Licenses / Certifications: Registered Nurse license required. Basic Life Support / CPR, as a healthcare provider, per the American Heart Association required. Membership in either APIC (Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) or SHEA (Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America) is preferred.