Infection Preventionist Nurse (IPN)

Tenet Healthcare; West Palm Beach (FL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Tenet Healthcare in Florida is seeking an Infection Prevention Nurse (IPN) to direct and coordinate the infection control program within a hospital setting. The IPN will implement and enforce surveillance, prevention and control policies and monitor outcomes to improve patient safety and staff wellbeing.

The role emphasizes education, consultation, and collaboration with occupational health, with responsibilities spanning program administration, performance improvement, and applicable research

Qualifications

• Infection prevention and control knowledge in clinical settings.
• Familiarity with epidemiology, surveillance, and outbreak investigation.
• Strong communication and education skills for staff and patients.

Responsibilities

• Infection prevention and control practice across the hospital.
• Conduct surveillance to assess prevention strategies’ effectiveness.
• Apply epidemiologic principles to identify risk factors and trends.
• Educate healthcare providers, patients, and families.
• Provide expert guidance in infection prevention and control.
• Collaborate with occupational health and interpret program data.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and fiscal stewardship.
• Contribute to performance improvement and research activities.

Skills

Infection prevention

Epidemiology

Education

Program administration

Research

Education

RN

Baccalaureate preferred

Job description

Full Time, Days

The Infection Prevention Nurse (IPN) directs and coordinates the infection control program in the hospital. The designated person will be given the authority to implement and enforce the Surveillance, Prevention and Control Program policies, coordinate all infection prevention and control within the hospital and facilitate ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of prevention and/or control activities and interventions.

As such, the IP's responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following activities:

1. Infection prevention and control practice - Incorporates into practice effective activities that are specific to the practice setting, the population served, and the continuum of care.
2. Surveillance - Uses a systematic approach to monitor the effectiveness of prevention and control strategies that are consistent with the organization's goals and objectives.
3. Epidemiology - Applies epidemiologic principles and statistical methods, including risk stratification and benchmarking, to identify target populations, determine risk factors, design prevention and control strategies, analyze trends, and evaluate processes.
4. Education - Serves as an educator and educational resource for healthcare providers, ancillary staff, patients, families, and the general public.
5. Consultation - Provides expert knowledge and guidance in infection prevention, control, and epidemiology.
6. Occupational health - Collaborates with occupational health in the development of strategies that address the risk of disease transmission to healthcare providers and ancillary staff.
7. Program administration and evaluation - Systematically evaluates the effectiveness of the program appropriate to the practice setting.
8. Fiscal responsibility - Practices in a fiscally responsible and accountable manner.
9. Performance improvement - Functions as an integral part of performance improvement initiatives to promote positive patient and employee outcomes.
10. Research - Conducts; participates; evaluates; and/or applies relevant research findings to infection prevention, control, and epidemiology practice. Research includes informal epidemiologic studies, e.g., outbreak/cluster investigations, surveillance findings, and others

Minimum Education /Licensure / Certifications

Experienced healthcare professional with a health sciences background Typically a registered nurse (RN), physician, epidemiologist, or medical technologist (MT). Baccalaureate degree preferred, or, in recognition of the current demographics of the field, IPs without a baccalaureate degree are considered compliant with entry-level educational standards as long as certification is maintained.

Minimum Experience

Minimum education, training and background for the successful candidate include:

• Has knowledge and experience in patient care practices, microbiology, aseptic technique, disinfection/sterilization, adult education, infectious diseases, communication, program administration, and epidemiology.
• Becomes certified in infection prevention and control when eligible through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology; and maintains certification.
• Completes a basic infection control training course within the first six months of entering the profession or being hired at a Tenet facility, whichever comes first.
• Eligible candidate will have knowledge in the use of the following systems:
  • PC-based Word and Excel spreadsheet programs Industry publications as they relate to Quality and other areas, as applicable, such as Safety, Risk Management, Case Management, etc.