Infection Preventionist

Regional One Health; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Regional One Health is seeking an Infection Control professional to lead surveillance, monitor infection prevention standards, and ensure compliance with Joint Commission and regulatory requirements. You will analyze data, prepare reports, educate staff, and support risk assessment and quality improvement activities.

You will respond to emergencies, coordinate containment measures, and collaborate with nursing, medical staff, occupational health, and external agencies to promote patient safety

Responsibilities

• Provides ongoing monitoring of infection control through surveillance activities to maintain standards and regulatory compliance.
• Assists in establishing review criteria and standards for measuring activities and ensuring compliance with regulatory agencies.
• Performs concurrent review to identify unexpected outcomes, risk management issues, or sentinel events.
• Reviews laboratory reports and communicates potential communicable disease issues to affected areas of the hospital.
• Recognizes infection control hazards on patient floors and initiates preventive measures with staff.
• Prepares summary reports, analyses findings, and recommends interventions; assists in follow-up as needed.
• Responds to emergency situations as required and supports remediation efforts.
• Uses analytical and statistical methods to identify problems, trends, and priorities for improvement, ensuring compliance.
• Serves as a resource and liaises with departments to implement infection control programs and quality initiatives.
• Assists with infection control education, in-services, and orientation for staff, physicians, and students.
• Conducts epidemiological investigations of outbreaks and potential exposures; evaluates outcomes to minimize risk.
• Responds to requests regarding patient room placement for isolation requirements and transmission risk assessments.
• Submits necessary documentation to Public Health authorities for reportable outbreaks and diseases.
• Provides consultation on disinfection, sterilization, and decontamination methods and advises on product evaluation as needed.
• Supports development of infection control standards aligned with regulatory requirements.

Job description

A Brief Overview

Provides surveillance throughout the organization to promote infection prevention and adherence to infection control standards of practice, policies and procedures. Collects, analyzes and reports data concerning hospital acquired infections, isolation procedures, types of treatment and control measures.

What You Will Do

• Provides ongoing monitoring of infection control through surveillance activities such as review of admission diagnoses, culture results, isolation orders, medical records, consultation requests, patient care/environmental rounds, post-discharge follow-up, statistical data and other case finding mechanisms to maintain Joint Commission, Centers for Disease Control, State and other regulatory standards and requirements.
• Assists in establishing review criteria and standards for measuring and monitoring activities and ensuring compliance with hospital, Joint Commission and regulatory agencies' requirements consistent with patient/environmental care policies, procedures, patient care standards of practices and demonstrated competencies and with consideration given to risk management, infection control and patient safety practices.
• Performs concurrent review to identify, investigate and report: unexpected outcomes, risk management or unusual/sentinel events, infection control information, variations from expected criteria
• Reviews laboratory reports and communicates possible communicable disease issues/problems with affected areas of the hospital.
• Recognizes serious infection control hazards on patient floors and initiates appropriate preventive measures with nursing/medical staff.
• Prepares summary reports, analysis of findings, recommends interventions and assists in follow-up as needed.
• Responds to emergency situations as required.
• Utilizes analytical skills and statistical analysis to aggregate data to assist with the identification of potential problems and patterns, trends, establish priorities and make recommendations for improvement activities to include risk assessment, prevention and control strategies. Ensures compliance with standards of practice and Joint Commission/regulatory requirements. Assists in implementation of corrective action for non-compliance.
• Serves as a resource and works collaboratively with the nursing/medical staff, occupational health, hospital personnel and other infection control practitioners and external agencies in compliance with Regional One Health’s’ Premier Behaviors promoting patient/customer satisfaction to coordinate and implement activities; obtain information; answer inquiries and resolve operational programs; communicate and interpret policies, procedures and standards of practices to promote an understanding of infection control and epidemiology guidelines and provide quality services.
• Assists with the development and conducts infection control education regarding infection risk and intervention. Conducts in-services, training and orientation programs to staff/physicians/students:
• Regarding aseptic techniques, infection control and prevention, antiseptics and disinfectants, specific infectious disease and other related health care issues.
• based on needs identified by staff/affiliate schools, and
• as indicated by infection control/quality improvement data.
• Conducts epidemiological investigation of outbreaks and potential exposures to communicable diseases
• Evaluates the outcome and follow-up to minimize risks to patients, visitors and employees.
• Responds to request for consultation regarding patient room placement for isolation requirements.
• Evaluates patients for potential transmission of communicable diseases.
• Recognizes and submits appropriate documents for reportable outbreaks and/or diseases to the Public Health authorities to ensure compliance with regulations regarding infection control.
• Assists with the review and recommendation of medical products and engineering control required for infection control safety standards. Provides consultation to evaluate disinfection, sterilization, and decontamination methods and/or solutions for medical projects, supplies and equipment relative to infection control and advise product evaluation committee as needed.
• Serves as resource and liaison between departments and participates on quality/performance improvement committees to ensure overall Infection Control plan implementation and compliance. Assists in the development of Infection Control, Patient Care and Environmental Care standards that is scientifically based and consistent with regulatory requirements.
• Provides research and administrative support for infection control and quality/performance improvement projects and studies; collects and compiles data, performs analysis and coordinates implementation as needed.
• Prepares and maintains required reports, records and files for operational, administrative and compliance purposes. Utilizes computer and information systems to enter, format and retrieve data, generate statistics, computations, tables, charts and graphs.
• Maintains professional credentials and education necessary to keep abreast and maintain a current knowledge of clinical/theoretical/infection control principles, concepts and techniques, best practices and current trends. Attends continuing education, staff development and mandatory programs.
• Provides on-call and callback coverage as required, 24 hours 7 days a week.