Infection Preventionist

Endocrine; Highland (IL); Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium pay

Career growth

Healthcare benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Free parking

Wellness program

HSA options

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Community involvement

Job summary

Endeavor Health is seeking an RN Infection Preventionist to oversee infection control across a healthcare facility in Highland Park, IL. This full-time role involves surveillance, prevention strategies, and regulatory compliance to protect patients and staff.

The position requires RN licensure in Illinois (or MLS/AMT as applicable), experience in infection prevention, and strong communication and educational skills to train staff and coordinate with health authorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in nursing, medical technology, public health, or equivalent.
• 2 years experience as staff nurse or lab scientist with infectious disease background.
• Infection prevention experience preferred.
• RN license in Illinois or MLS/AMT credentials as applicable.
• CBIC Infection Control certification within two years of start date.

Responsibilities

• Conduct surveillance to identify infections and classify infections by body site.
• Track hospital-acquired infection rates and analyze data for variances.
• Investigate clusters of infection and design study methods.
• Perform infection prevention rounds and complete tracers for compliance.
• Collaborate with Facilities and stakeholders to mitigate risk.
• Communicate with public health authorities and maintain confidentiality.
• Provide education and training on infection control to staff.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Adult education principles

Prioritization & organization

Leading others through influence

Infection control knowledge

Group education & presentations

Education

Bachelor's Degree Nursing

Bachelor's Degree Medical Technology

Bachelor's Degree Public Health

Master's Degree Nursing

Master's Degree Medical Technology

Master's Degree Public Health

Tools

Microsoft Office

EMR system

Job description

Hourly Pay Range:

$38.67 - $59.94 - The hourly pay rate offered is determined by a candidate's expertise and years of experience, among other factors.

Position Highlights:

• Position: RN Infection Preventionist
• Location: Highland Park, IL
• Full Time: 40 hours/week
• Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00a-4:30p
• On call, weekend, holiday-rotation every 7-8 weeks

A Brief Overview:

The Infection Preventionist is responsible for overseeing and implementing infection control measures within a healthcare facility. This role involves monitoring, preventing, and controlling the spread of infectious diseases to ensure the safety of patients, staff, and visitors. Assures compliance with Joint Commission, OSHA, and the Illinois Dept. of Public Health standards and regulations, all within the context of controlling and minimizing infection risks and the promotion of quality care.

What you will do:

• Conducts surveillance to identify patients with communicable diseases requiring follow-up and isolation. Applies established criteria to identify and classify infections at various body sites.
• Tracks risks, rates and trends in hospital-acquired infections. Recognizes statistical significance of surveillance data and identifies variances from baseline that require special attention. Compares data to results from published studies and recognized sources (e.g. CDC).
• Conducts investigations of clusters of infection occurring above expected levels by collaborating with appropriate persons to establish study case definition, period of study, and case-finding methods. Utilizes epidemiological principles to design and conduct investigations.
• Routinely performs infection prevention rounds and completes associated tracers to support infection prevention efforts and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborates with Facilities and key stakeholders to ensure risk mitigation strategies are implemented before, during, and after project work.
• Communicates with public health authorities relative to communicable disease control, prevention and reporting. Maintains appropriate records as required by regulation. Ensures maximum confidentiality of and access to such information
• Establishes and maintains quality of care through direction of various department personnel and in cooperation with the Medical Staff and Clinical Quality/Clinical Excellence.
• Collaborates with various departments on infection control issues as needed including but not limited to: Emergency Preparedness, Employee Health, Sterile Processing, EVS.
• Communicates changes in regulations, guidelines, consensus statements, position papers and standards to appropriate parties. Influences and motivates others to enhance Infection Control perception in their work and personal habits.
• Participates in development and implementation of system-wide policies and procedures related to Infection Control activities.
• Provides new employee orientation and on-going in-service training to hospital personnel using principles of adult learning. Assesses the educational needs of health care providers pertaining to infection control and prepares, presents, or coordinates educational workshops, lectures, or one‑on‑one instruction as needed.
• Works closely with the Employee Health Department to develop infection control strategies which address the risk of infection transmission between patients and health care providers, including investigation and follow-up for health care providers exposed to communicable diseases.
• Assumes rotating on call responsibilities as needed including evenings, weekends, holidays. Duties include answering pages, reviewing laboratory reports, and isolation surveillance.

What you will need:

• Bachelors Degree Nursing Required Or
• Bachelors Degree Medical Technology Required Or
• Bachelors Degree Public Health Required
• Masters Degree Nursing Preferred Or
• Masters Degree Medical Technology Preferred Or
• Masters Degree Public Health Preferred
• 2 Years Experience as a staff nurse or laboratory scientist with a background in Infectious Diseases required
• Previous Infection Prevention experience preferred
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and an electronic medical record system
• Working knowledge of The Joint Commission and other regulatory agencies? requirements
• Knowledgeable in adult education principles
• Ability to prioritize and organize activities
• Demonstrates results in their ability to lead others through influence
• Demonstrates self-directed, results-oriented, and creative approach to organization change
• Experience in group education and presentation
• Registered Nurse (RN) - Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Required Or
• Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) - American Medical Technologists (AMT) Required And
• Certified in Infection Control (CIC) - Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC) within two years of start date into position Required

Benefits (for full and part-time positions):

• Premium pay for eligible employees
• Career Pathways to Promote Professional Growth and Development
• Various Medical, Dental, and Vision options
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Free Parking at designated locations
• Wellness Program Savings Plan
• Health Savings Account Options
• Retirement Options with Company Match
• Paid Time Off
• Community Involvement Opportunities

Endeavor Health is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system committed to providing access to quality, vibrant, community-connected care, serving an area of more than 4.2 million residents across six northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 25,000 team members and more than 6,000 physicians aim to deliver transformative patient experiences and expert care close to home across more than 300 ambulatory locations and eight acute care hospitals ? Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights) Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) ? all recognized as Magnet hospitals for nursing excellence. For more information, visit www.endeavorhealth.org.

When you work for Endeavor Health, you will be part of an organization that encourages its employees to achieve career goals and maximize their professional potential.

Please explore our website (www.endeavorhealth.org) to better understand how Endeavor Health delivers on its mission to ?help everyone in our communities be their best?.

Endeavor Health is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. Please refer to the main career page for more information.

Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the core of who we are; being there for our patients and each other with compassion, respect and empathy. We believe that our strength resides in our differences and in connecting our best to provide community-connected healthcare for all.

EOE: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets, VEVRRA Federal Contractor.