CNH RN IC/QI/RM

The Hospital Authority of Miller County•Edison, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Designs, implements, and directs the infection programs for the Nursing Home and manages infectious waste management system. Infection control responsibilities include surveillance, analysis, reporting activities as well as setting standards and evaluating compliance for practices that are associated with the prevention and control of health care associated infections. Facilitates and coordinates the facility Performance Improvement (QI) Program to assure compliance with Calhoun Nursing Home and other healthcare regulatory agencies to enhance the quality of resident care. Compiles, organizes, and analyzes incident reports and helps formulate action plans to reduce risk and incidences. Plans, implements, evaluates, and analyzes employee health services to include pre-employment and annual health assessments, immunizations, work-related exposures, illnesses and injuries. Evaluates, analyzes, and establishes standards for the effective control of special medical waste, including compliance with current regulations. Provides education, consultation, and guidance to hospital staff, medical staff, patients/residents, families, and visitors. The program manager complies with the mandates of required accrediting and regulatory agencies and communicates pertinent information to senior management and medical staff officers.

Requirements

RN with current Georgia state licensure.
Job experience in infection control/epidemiology guidelines and specific regulatory licensure mandates from state and federal agencies.
Knowledge of pertinent regulatory, accrediting, and advisory body requirements including, but not limited to, local and state regulations, and recommendations of the CDC.
Working knowledge and ability to demonstrate a comprehension of medical and nursing education and patient care management, microbiology, pathology, immunology, epidemiology, and medical statistics.
Ability to interact effectively with all levels of health care personnel in these facilities and other health care facilities, public health services at the local, state, and national levels, and the CDC.
Must be able to take a leadership role in cost-effective prevention of transmissible diseases.
Active BCLS certification.

Nice To Haves

BS degree desirable.
Additional languages preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, integrate, manage, and control the functional components of the infection control program.
Develop, integrate, manage, and control the functional components of the employee health program.
Organize and maintain a manual that reflects infection control and the infection control committee by serving on committees that facilitate integration of the infection control standards.
Evaluate the effectiveness of current routine and emergency infection control measures practiced in the nursing home.
Develop, integrate, monitor, and evaluate standard practices relating to the control of special medical waste in the facility and the follow-up required to comply with current state regulations.
Communicate directly and/or indirectly with medical and nursing education staff on issues relating to employee health.
Communicate directly and/or indirectly with medical and nursing education staff on issues relating to educational needs of health care providers.
Support and contribute to the quality improvement program by performing statistical analysis of nosocomial infections and trending other indicators that measure quality of care associated with infection control and employee health services.
Perform surveillance activities and apply an epidemiological approach to problem-solving.
Provide formal and informal education programs to all personnel.
Make appropriate and timely recommendations that influence the standard of care and minimize the risk of disease transmission.
Analyze and project infection risks and potential results of those risks to and from patients, residents, employees, the environment, and the community.
Prepare, evaluate, and report all patient facility-acquired infections, notify the state of notifiable communicable diseases by culture report surveillance, monitor staff infections, and manage all employee exposure incidents from BBP, TB, etc.
Maintain all reports and store IC records in the department.
Report all findings to the IC Committee at least on a quarterly basis and more frequently if indicated, and to Medical Staff when needed.
Maintain all IC Committee meeting minutes and distribute them as indicated.
Develop QI indicators for the IC department and implement plans to improve the quality of care for patients and residents, along with providing a safe environmental setting for healthcare workers.
Provide IC QI Coordinator and Committee in established QI reporting manner.
Establish standards that meet licensing and/or accrediting guidelines.
Participate in activities associated with the public health department that would be beneficial to the hospital, nursing home, and general public, such as annual health fairs.
Ensure that IC continuing education programs are provided to all staff (20 percent of time).
Provide updated information to all staff as regulations, practices, and equipment change to keep the hospital and nursing home in compliance with current standards.
Participate in regularly scheduled programs such as new employee general orientation and annual updates.
Prepare the agenda and formulate the minutes for the Performance Improvement Committee meetings.
Report data to QI monthly.
Report data to NRC monthly.
Track med errors by nurse and report to DON.
Look for trends with falls, behaviors, etc.
Educate staff about areas of concern.