Infection Prevention Nurse

Arnot Health System•Elmira, NY

About The Position

The Infection Prevention Nurse serves as a program-level clinical and regulatory expert responsible for the execution, monitoring, and continuous improvement of the organization's Infection Prevention and Control Program. This role manages day-to-day infection prevention activities, conducts surveillance and data analysis, ensures compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements, and collaborates with interdisciplinary stakeholders to reduce healthcare-associated infections and mitigate infectious disease risks. The Infection Prevention Nurse provides consultation, education, program oversight, and performance monitoring to support patient safety, quality outcomes, and organizational strategic priorities.

Requirements

Current NYS Registered Professional Nurse (RN) license in good standing.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification (within 90 days of hire).
Demonstrated proficiency in health assessment, vaccination administration, and exposure management.
Minimum two (2) years of infection prevention, quality, patient safety, epidemiology, public health, or related healthcare experience.
Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) within three years of hire.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Microbiology, Epidemiology, or related healthcare field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience with data collection, surveillance methodologies, performance measurement, and interpretation of clinical outcomes.
Knowledge of CDC, NYSDOH, CMS, Joint Commission, and other applicable infection prevention regulations and standards.
Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
Proficiency with electronic health records, surveillance software, and Microsoft Office applications.
Prior experience in Employee Health, Community Health, or Infection Prevention.

Responsibilities

Coordinates and manages daily infection prevention program activities, including surveillance, investigation, reporting, and follow-up of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), communicable diseases, and outbreak events.
Ensures timely execution of prevention strategies across the organization.
Conducts ongoing infection surveillance utilizing electronic surveillance systems, laboratory reports, clinical documentation, and regulatory reporting tools.
Analyzes trends, identifies areas of risk, and develops recommendations to reduce infection transmission and improve patient outcomes.
Tracks and evaluates infection prevention program performance against established goals, quality metrics, regulatory standards, and organizational objectives.
Provides routine reports and presents findings to leadership, committees, and stakeholders to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.
Maintains working knowledge of federal, state, local, and accreditation requirements related to infection prevention.
Ensures program activities align with organizational policies, regulatory expectations, and evidence-based infection prevention practices.
Collaborates with clinical, operational, laboratory, and leadership teams to assess, investigate, manage, and evaluate infectious disease events, exposure incidents, and outbreak situations.
Supports implementation of mitigation strategies and corrective action plans.
Serves as an infection prevention subject matter expert and resource for staff, providers, leadership, patients, and community partners.
Develops and delivers mandatory education, department-specific training, and consultation regarding infection prevention practices and emerging infectious disease concerns.
Participates in the development, review, implementation, and revision of infection prevention policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Identifies opportunities to improve processes, strengthen compliance, and enhance patient and employee safety.
Provides infection prevention consultation for construction, renovation, environmental safety, and sterilization initiatives.
Conducts risk assessments and monitors compliance with infection prevention standards throughout project lifecycles.
Collaborates with Infection Prevention leadership, Quality teams, Medical Staff, Nursing, Employee Health, Environmental Services, and operational leaders to advance infection prevention goals and support organizational performance initiatives.
Performs additional responsibilities consistent with the scope, intent, and level of the position.