Infection Prevention Nurse

St Pauls Senior Services•SAN DIEGO, CA

20h

About The Position

The Infection Prevention Nurse provides administrative, surveillance, and consultative work to plan, develop, coordinate, and administer an infection control program. The role plans, organizes, implements, and evaluates program activities to help ensure they are carried out effectively and efficiently, and educates stakeholders about infection control practices. The nurse monitors healthcare practices, gathers and analyzes data, investigates outbreaks, calculates infection rates, and recommends interventions or practice changes. The role develops and delivers infection control education for staff, patients, and the community, and provides expert consultation based on current best practices and research. The position also supports immunization clinics, observes patients for signs of infection, participates in wound rounds, documents findings in electronic medical records, and collaborates with medical professionals on appropriate patient-care and infection-prevention strategies. The nurse participates in relevant department and committee meetings, contributes to policies and procedures where applicable, and evaluates infection-prevention products or technologies for safety and cost-effectiveness.

Requirements

Must be a Licensed Vocational Nurse or Registered Nurse in the State of California.
Must hold an Infection Control Certification from a program approved by the California Department of Public Health for infection-control practices in skilled nursing facilities.
BLS certification.
At least 2 years of experience as a Vocational or Registered Nurse.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Facilitation skills.
Problem-solving abilities.
Analytical and critical-thinking skills.
Proficiency with computer software packages used to analyze statistics and write reports.
Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and independently.
Knowledge of infection-prevention and control regulations and guidelines.
Knowledge of sterilization and decontamination, microbiology, and infectious processes.
Knowledge of environmental health services best practices.
Knowledge of epidemiological principles, statistics, microbiology, and infectious diseases.
Knowledge of policies, procedures, standards of practice, and guidelines.
Current knowledge of trends and developments in nursing and infection-prevention programs.
Knowledge of research and evidence-based practice.
Knowledge of infection-control promotion among staff, visitors, and patients.
Knowledge of infection-prevention program development.

Responsibilities

Monitor healthcare or industry practices to identify infection-control concerns and determine necessary interventions.
Collect relevant information, including laboratory reports and patient charts; communicate with facilities and units; enter data into reports; analyze and report findings.
Provide education and training to program areas requiring changes in infection-control practices.
Assess education and training needs and develop, organize, and deliver infection-control education to staff, patients, and the community.
Provide formal presentations during staff orientation or community activities and evaluate training requirements.
Consult with stakeholders and provide expertise on infection-control practices based on current knowledge and best-practice research.
Investigate infection-control outbreaks; conduct literature and internet research; review statistical data, calculate infection rates, evaluate findings, and recommend responses or practice changes.
Coordinate infection prevention and control activities and communicate with managers and administrators about suspected infection outbreaks; provide advice and guidance.
Participate in immunization clinics, administer vaccinations, and collect data.
Provide patients and families with infection-control education materials and counseling.
Attend and participate in department and committee meetings, including waste management, infection control, and quality assurance; provide input on policies and procedures where applicable.
Evaluate newly developed infection-prevention technologies or products for safety and cost-effectiveness; meet with sales representatives or attend product in-services.
Assist the Director of Nursing and Licensed Nurses with infection-control-related duties.
Observe patients daily for infection risks associated with IV lines, catheters, and other internally placed tubing.
Participate in wound rounds and evaluate suspicious or potential skin and wound infections.
Document findings in electronic medical records.
Communicate with internal and external medical professionals to develop clinically appropriate patient-care and infection-prevention strategies.
Observe infection-control practices and compliance with established policies and procedures throughout the facility across all shifts.