Director of Nurse Education and Infection Prevention(RN)

Signet Health Corporation

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nurse Educator and Infection Prevention Nurse is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of nursing education programs and the hospital’s infection prevention and control program. This combined role supports nursing competency, regulatory compliance, patient safety, and infection risk reduction within the inpatient psychiatric hospital setting. The position serves as a clinical educator and infection prevention subject matter expert, with practices tailored to the behavioral health environment.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited school of nursing required.
Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of employment required.
Minimum of two (2) years of clinical nursing experience required.
Knowledge of nursing practice standards and inpatient psychiatric care requirements.
Working knowledge of infection prevention principles and regulatory expectations.
Strong teaching, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and implement improvement strategies.
Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively with nursing leadership and interdisciplinary teams.
Professional judgment, discretion, and attention to detail.
Ability to work in an inpatient psychiatric hospital environment.
Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the facility to observe practice and provide education.
Flexibility to adjust work hours during outbreaks, surveys, or training needs.
Compliance with nursing education and infection prevention regulatory requirements.
Timely completion of staff education and competency validation.
Effective infection surveillance, reporting, and mitigation activities.
Demonstrated contribution to patient safety, staff competency, and survey readiness.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
Infection prevention or nurse education certification preferred but not required.
Behavioral health, psychiatric, or inpatient experience preferred.
Experience in nursing education, infection prevention, or quality improvement preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, coordinate, and deliver nursing orientation programs for new hires, including hospital policies, procedures, and clinical standards.
Plan and conduct ongoing education, in-services, and annual competencies for nursing and designated clinical staff.
Ensure education supports safe psychiatric care, including de-escalation techniques, restraint and seclusion practices, suicide risk mitigation, and trauma-informed care.
Maintain accurate documentation of education activities, competencies, and training completion in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Assess learning needs and competency gaps through observation, incident trends, performance data, and regulatory findings.
Support evidence-based nursing practice and professional development initiatives.
Provide clinical coaching, mentoring, and guidance to nursing staff and supervisors.
Assist nursing leadership with remediation plans, skills validation, and performance improvement activities.
Develop, implement, and maintain the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Program in compliance with CMS, state regulations, and accreditation standards.
Conduct surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and communicable diseases relevant to inpatient psychiatric settings.
Analyze infection data, identify trends, and report findings to nursing leadership and designated committees.
Conduct infection prevention risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies.
Develop and maintain infection prevention policies and procedures, including hand hygiene, PPE use, isolation precautions, environmental cleaning, and exposure management.
Monitor staff compliance with infection prevention practices through audits, rounding, and observation.
Coordinate responses to infectious disease exposures, outbreaks, and required public health reporting.
Serve as a liaison with public health authorities as needed.
Provide education and consultation to staff regarding infection prevention principles and emerging risks.
Support infection prevention practices that balance patient safety with psychiatric care considerations, including ligature risk and therapeutic milieu needs.
Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement using just culture principles.
Support regulatory surveys, accreditation visits, and inspections related to nursing education and infection prevention.
Participate in Nursing, Infection Control, Quality, and Safety committees as assigned.
Collaborate with the Director of Quality and Risk Management on performance improvement initiatives and corrective action plans.
Assist with follow-up and monitoring of findings related to education or infection control.