Nurse Educator - Infection Preventionist

Acadia Healthcare Company; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated RN Nurse Educator/Infection Preventionist to enhance patient care quality. In this full-time role, you will develop training programs, lead staff education, and implement infection control measures, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. This position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on staff competency and patient safety within a supportive environment. Join a team that values professional growth and offers comprehensive benefits, including tuition reimbursement and flexible scheduling. If you are passionate about nursing education and infection prevention, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

Medical Insurance

Prescription Drug Plan

Flexible Spending Accounts

Health Savings Accounts

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Referral Bonus

Flexible Scheduling

Excellent Training Program

Qualifications

• Master's degree in nursing or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of RN experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement education plans for nursing staff.
• Lead new hire orientation and ongoing training programs.
• Monitor compliance with infection control protocols.

Skills

Nursing Skills

Infection Control

Clinical Education

Communication Skills

Regulatory Compliance

Education

Master’s degree in nursing

Bachelor’s degree in nursing

Job description

MeadowWood Behavioral is searching for a RN Nurse Educator/Infection Preventionist. This is a full-time position that primarily operates during the standard day shift, with flexibility to adjust hours as needed to provide training, support, and communications to staff on off shifts.

MeadowWood Behavioral Health Hospital is the fit you are looking for. A career in behavioral healthcare can be a personally and professionally rewarding experience. At MeadowWood Behavioral Health Hospital, you will grow your skills and learn from leaders who take a hands-off approach to management. Through comprehensive training and personalized support, you will gain the foundation you need to reach your career goals.

MeadowWood Behavioral Health, a 120 bed treatment center providing services to adults and adolescents on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, is located on Rt. 13 in New Castle, Delaware.

The Nurse Educator/Infection Preventionist plays a critical role in ensuring that behavioral health staff are well-equipped to provide safe, high-quality patient care. This hands-on position is responsible for developing and implementing education plans, identifying learning needs, and leading new hire orientation from a clinical perspective. The Nurse Educator/Infection Preventionist facilitates ongoing training programs, ensures compliance with regulatory guidelines, and fosters a culture of continuous learning. By modeling best practices and engaging staff in evidence-based education, this role directly contributes to enhancing professional competency and patient safety within the facility. Additionally, the Nurse Educator/Infection Preventionist plays a key role in infection prevention by implementing protocols, training staff on infection control measures, and monitoring compliance to reduce the risk of infectious outbreaks within the facility.

At Acadia Healthcare, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, prescription drug plan, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, vision, dental, and voluntary short-term and long-term disability coverage. Additionally, our well-being programs encompass employee assistance programs, financial support, tuition reimbursement, and much more.

• Competitive hourly rates with high shift differentials
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Scheduling
• Excellent training program and career advancement opportunities
• Apprentice Program

PURPOSE STATEMENT:

Plan, develop and coordinate continuing nursing in-service education programs within the facility for all clinical and non-clinical nursing staff in a positive, empathetic, and professional manner at all times. This position is responsible for enhancing professional practice and the provision of quality patient care by providing evidence-based, quality educational programs and activities that promote professional competency for nursing, inter-professional, and non-licensed clinical staff at an assigned facility. Coordinate and lead the facility’s infection prevention and control program. Responsible for determining, preventing and containing infectious outbreaks within the facility. Performs duties with a positive, empathetic, and professional attitude. Recognizes that patient safety is a top priority.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Facilitates orientation/onboarding program to promote employee retention.
2. Conducts orientation in a manner that fosters a positive learning environment.
3. Role models organizational and personal commitment to new employee success.
4. Participates in designing and identifying educational activities to address practice gaps for identified target audiences, which may include licensed and non-licensed healthcare personnel.
5. Identifies learning needs of staff and/or facility.
6. Role models competent practice through demonstration or simulation activities.
7. Assesses practice gaps/Crosswalk competencies to practice.
8. Collaborates with Corporate Nursing Director /Educator to review outcomes data to evaluate and refine competency management activities.
9. Assists with development and/or instruction of didactic content and clinical skills for designated competencies.
10. Develops education plan according to gap assessment or quality data/safety outcomes.
11. Aligns educational programs with facility and/or organization policies and procedures.
12. Implements and delivers educational curricula as required by regulatory agencies such as Joint Commission, CARF, CMS and State agencies.
13. Creates engaging, evidence-based educational content to meet the specific needs of the intended audience.
14. Demonstrates exceptional instructional skills while maintaining learner engagement.
15. Acts as a general resource for nursing staff.
16. Collaborates with medical practitioners and CNO/DON to incorporate nursing processes into the plan of care for patients.
17. Provides educational leadership to patients and care providers to enhance specialized patient care within established clinical protocol.
18. Promotes safe, quality, and compassionate patient care.
19. Assists patients and caregivers with education needs, problem solution and health management across the continuum of care.
20. Educates direct patient care staff in the use of equipment, supplies, and coordinates in-service training for appropriate staff.
21. Supports new ideas and innovation in educational design.
22. Provides staff with resources and “just-in-time” education to implement immediate changes.
23. Communicates therapeutically and professionally with patients, visitors, coworkers and others in an effective manner.
24. May provide direct care as needed.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Conduct ongoing surveillance of infections.
2. Gather and interpret data and keep accurate records of all infections.
3. Compile and present Infection Reports to the Safety/Infection Control Committee and the Performance Improvement Council at assigned intervals.
4. Inspect environment and observe personnel activities for the purpose of detecting infection hazards.
5. Monitor and evaluate compliance with standards set by facility policy and industry.
6. Monitor and update all facility department supervisors on all area-specific policies and procedures important to infection prevention principles. Investigate all 'exposure incidents,' oversee post-exposure evaluation and follow-up process in order to recommend appropriate actions to be taken.
7. Notify designated medical, administrative staff and appropriate health department authorities all reportable communicable disease.
8. Develop and provide in-service and orientation programs concerning prevention and control of infection, standard precautions, isolation techniques and education on current infectious disease.
9. Responsibilities may also include gathering, analyzing and presenting data, facts and trends on infection prevention to facility or corporate leadership.
10. Train staff on infection prevention and control protocols.
11. Assess and re-enforce infection prevention practices.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Master’s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Education or other clinical field or equivalent combination of education and/or experience preferred.
2. Bachelor’s degree in nursing or commensurate experience required.
3. 5+ years of experience as a registered nurse strongly preferred.
4. Three years of registered nurse experience required.
5. Inpatient psychiatry experience as an RN strongly preferred.
6. Two years of behavioral health experience as an RN required.
7. One or more years’ experience in infection control preferred.
8. 1+ years experience in Clinical Education/Training and Development (Preferred).
9. Certification as an NPD Practitioner and/or clinical certification as recognized by American Nurse Credentialing Center (Preferred).

LICENSES/DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS:

1. Current state license is required for this position.
2. Certification by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology preferred.
3. CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
4. First aid may be required based on state or facility.

ADDITIONAL REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS:

For Joint Commission facilities: The infection preventionist is appointed by the governing body to be responsible for the infection prevention and control program. The appointment is based on recommendations of medical staff leadership and nursing leadership.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

AHRN

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