Employee Health/Infection Control Coordinator/LVN

Surgery Partners Careers•Lubbock, TX

17d•Onsite

About The Position

Lubbock Heart & Surgical Hospital is seeking a dedicated Licensed Vocational Nurse to coordinate employee health and infection control. The role applies epidemiologic principles and statistical methods to identify populations at risk, analyze trends, and design and evaluate infection prevention and control strategies. It conducts ongoing surveillance and investigation of hospital-acquired infections using CDC/HIPAC/NHSN criteria and appropriate case-finding methods. The coordinator develops and implements annual risk assessments, surveillance plans, and risk-reduction strategies; analyzes and reports infection data and outcomes; investigates outbreaks; and communicates findings, recommendations, and action plans to hospital committees, departments, leadership, and public health agencies. The role assesses environmental controls, monitors construction projects, prepares Infection Control Risk Assessments, supports safe patient placement, and provides consultation and education on infection prevention practices and policies. The position also supports regulatory compliance, policy and procedure review and development, employee exposure surveillance, and work practice and engineering controls. It collaborates with clinical and operational departments, outside vendors, public health agencies, and organizational leaders. The coordinator provides consultative coverage for infection prevention concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and refers unresolved issues to the Director of Infection Prevention & Employee Health. Lubbock Heart & Surgical Hospital is a physician-owned hospital specializing in cardiac, orthopedic, nephrology, urology, and general medical care, with a strong focus on surgical procedures. The organization describes its environment as a family-style atmosphere and emphasizes teamwork, diversity, employee development, and patient care.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
Currently licensed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) by the Texas Board of Nursing.
BCLS and ACLS required.
Minimum of three years of clinical experience.
Ability to demonstrate success building and maintaining relationships and working collaboratively toward consensus with diverse people, levels, and organizations.
Strong written and verbal communication, intercultural, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to facilitate, influence, and build consensus.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Health Science, Emergency Management, Public Health, or a related field.
Infection Control or Employee Health experience.

Responsibilities

Apply epidemiologic principles and statistical methods, including risk stratification, to identify target populations, analyze trends and risk factors, and support the design and evaluation of infection prevention strategies.
Conduct ongoing infection surveillance and investigate hospital-acquired infections using CDC/HIPAC/NHSN criteria, documentation, and appropriate case-finding methods.
Maintain current infection prevention knowledge through continuing education, professional networking, literature, and meetings.
Use appropriate communication and data systems and participate in system upgrades and redesigns that support infection prevention activities.
Build effective relationships across the organization, resolve conflicts, support change, and communicate and advocate for infection prevention initiatives.
Facilitate performance and process improvement activities based on surveillance findings in partnership with relevant departments and the Quality Department.
Assess environmental controls through surveillance and inspection of water systems, ventilation, construction sites, potential blood-borne pathogen exposures, and isolation practices.
Create Infection Control Risk Assessments for construction projects and participate in project meetings to provide infection prevention guidance during planning and implementation.
Conduct annual risk assessments and develop an infection prevention plan and surveillance activities, including as appropriate devices, MDROs, SSIs, CLABSIs, UTIs, and other epidemiologically important conditions.
Analyze surveillance outcomes and communicate data, recommendations, and opportunities for process improvement to the Infection Control Committee and relevant departments.
Identify and facilitate investigations of infection outbreaks in collaboration with the microbiology laboratory, infectious disease physician, Infection Control Committee, organizational leadership, public health departments, and CDC when necessary.
Report epidemiologically significant findings to appropriate departments, leaders, and outside health agencies; communicate investigation findings and action plans verbally and in writing.
Collaborate with the ED, Admitting, bed board, and nursing units to support appropriate patient placement and reduce disease transmission risk.
Develop education and informational materials for patients, families, nursing, ancillary, and medical staff, and serve as an infection prevention resource throughout the organization.
Consult with Occupational Health on infection prevention, employee exposures, disease transmission, and improvement opportunities.
Facilitate review and development of policies and procedures with relevant departments to prevent infectious disease exposure and transmission.
Provide consultative infection prevention coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and refer unresolved questions or problems to the Director of Infection Prevention & Employee Health.
Maintain current infection prevention and infectious disease information and develop and implement annual surveillance plans with risk-reduction strategies approved by the Infection Control Committee.
Collect and analytically interpret infection data based on NHSN data.
Report in-house patients with communicable diseases to county and/or state health departments and maintain records.
Develop and implement mandatory standards, programs, and regulations relevant to infection prevention, and prepare compliance plans for regulatory agencies.
Assist with implementation of OSHA-relevant work practice and engineering controls, and provide hospital-wide education, training, and policy review.
Collaborate with outside vendors and affected departments on implementation and education for new infection-control equipment.
Maintain quality-control monitors and conduct surveillance and follow-up of employee exposures to communicable diseases.
Trend employee illnesses and injuries to identify safety and health concerns.