JOB SUMMARY:

The primary purpose of designated Infection Control Preventionist serves as a consultant to our staff on infectious diseases, resident room placement, implementing of isolation precautions, staff and resident exposures, surveillance, and epidemiological investigations of exposures of infectious diseases.

JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Administrative Functions

• Oversees direct care staff in daily activities to assure appropriate precautions and techniques are observed, assess the resident's isolation needs, initiate appropriate precautions in accordance with established policies and current CDC Infection Control Isolation Guidelines

• Consults with the Medical Director (and/or the resident’s attending physician) as soon as possible to obtain written order for same; and provide consultation for questions regarding isolation, infection control issues, and questions relative to communicable diseases and infections.

Surveillance

• Ensures system of surveillance is utilized for prevention, identifying, reporting, investigating, and controlling infections and communicable diseases for all residents, staff, volunteers, visitors, and other individuals providing services under a contractual arrangement based upon a facility assessment and accepted national standards.

• Will serve as the leader in surveillance activities, maintains documentation of incidents, findings, and any corrective actions made by the facility and reports surveillance findings to the facility’s Quality Assessment and Assurance Committee.

Antibiotic Stewardship

• Will implement an antibiotic stewardship program as part of the overall infection prevention and control program.

• Will utilize Antibiotic protocols and system to monitor antibiotic use will be implemented as part of the antibiotic stewardship program. The Director of Nursing will serve as the leader of the antibiotic stewardship program.

• Consults with Medical Director, consultant pharmacist, and laboratory manager as a resource for the antibiotic stewardship program.

Resident/Family/Visitor/ Education

• Provides Residents, family members, and visitors are provided information relative to the rationale for the isolation, behaviors required of them in observing these precautions, and conditions for which to notify the nursing staff.

• Ensures Information on various infectious diseases is available from our Infection Preventionist.

• Implement and maintain established nursing objectives and standards.

Staff Referral to Treatment Centers/Services

• Ensures coordination of screening procedures in case of widespread exposure of staff to any infectious disease.

• Confirms and ensures employees with a communicable disease or infected skin lesion will be prohibited from direct contact with residents or their food, if direct contact will transmit the disease.

• Refer staff to the appropriate medical treatment center/service when he/she Is feverish and appears to be in the infectious stages of an illness, Experiences an occupational exposure to blood/body fluids, has been exposed to a communicable disease, Exhibits infected skin lesions.

Resident Rights Responsibilities

• Maintain the confidentiality of all resident care information.

• Monitor nursing care to ensure that all residents are treated fairly, and with dignity, kindness and respect.

• Ensure that all nursing care is provided in privacy and that nursing service personnel knock before entering the resident’s room.

• Ensure that all nursing service personnel are knowledgeable of and honor the residents’ responsibilities and rights including the right to refuse treatment.

• Review complaints and grievances made by the resident and make a written/oral report to the Charge Nurse indicating what action(s) were taken to resolve the complaint or grievance. Follow the facility’s established procedures.

• Maintain a written record of the resident’s complaints and/or grievances that indicates the action taken to resolve the complaint and the current status of the complaint.

• Report and investigate all allegations of resident abuse and/or misappropriation of resident property.

Working Conditions

• Works in office areas as well as throughout the nursing service area (drug rooms, nurses’ station, resident rooms, etc.)

• Moves intermittently during work hours.

• Is subject to frequent interruptions.

• Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, under all conditions and circumstances.

• Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel and visitors.

• Communicates with the medical staff, nursing personnel and other department supervisors.

• Works beyond normal working hours and in other positions temporarily, when necessary.

• Is subject to callback during emergency conditions.

• Attends and participates in continuing educational programs.

• Is subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc. including TB and the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses.

• Is subject to injury from falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc., throughout the workday, as well as to reactions from dust, plastics, synthetics, disinfectants, tobacco smoke, and other potential contaminants.

• May be subject to the handling of and exposure to hazardous chemicals.

• Maintains a liaison with the resident, their families, support departments, etc. to adequately plan for the residents’ needs.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education

• Must possess a Nursing Degree (RN/LPN) from an accredited college or university, or be a graduate of an approved school of professional nursing.

Experience

• Minimum of 3 years clinical experience preferred

• Previous experience in Infection Prevention preferred

• Familiar with relevant state, federal and accrediting agency requirements preferred

• Knowledge and experience in areas of patient care practices, microbiology, asepsis, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization, adult education, infectious diseases, epidemiology, statistics, communication and program administration preferred

• Experience with navigating patient medical records and automated documentation systems

Specific Requirements

• Must be self-directed with ability to work effectively and efficiently with multiple interruptions and changing work priorities required

• Must have the ability to effectively handle sensitive and high stress situations

• Must have strong organizational and time management skills

• Must have the ability to handle multiple tasks

• Attention to detail

• Ability to make quality, independent decisions using analytical and problem solving skills

• Expertise in data mining, report writing and data presentations

• Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and interact with physicians, staff, patients and visitors, and team

• Excellent program and project management skills

• Strong leadership skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

Physical and Sensory Requirements

• Must be able to move intermittently throughout the workday.

• Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.

• Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.

• Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to ensure that the requirements of this position can be fully met.

• Must function independently and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.

• Must meet the general health requirement set forth by the policies of this facility, which include a medical and physical examination.

• Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at time hostile people within the facility.

• Must meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility, which include a medical and physical examination.

• Must be able to push, pull, move, and/or lift a minimum of five (5) pounds to a minimum height of three (3) feet and be able to push, pull, move, and/or carry such weight a minimum distance of five (5) feet.

• Must be able to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.