Infection Preventionist I
About The Position
The Infection Preventionist I provides infection prevention and control (IPC) support to designated clinical areas. The role involves clinical infection prevention rounding, including assessments of the environment, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and construction; investigating infection clusters or outbreaks; educating healthcare providers; and consulting with healthcare providers and other professionals. The position applies core IPC practices and supports patient safety through education, policy and procedure review, quality improvement, and collaboration to implement and sustain effective IPC strategies. The Infection Preventionist consults on isolation and PPE, assesses and delivers audience-appropriate education, and applies technical principles of cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, including high-level disinfection and sterilization processes. The role audits precautions and infection prevention measures, reviews isolation reports and construction plans, uses basic epidemiologic methods to identify trends, and participates in outbreak investigations and improvement projects. Full-time staff provide on-call support on a scheduled rotation.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in public health or a healthcare-related field.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and with teams in a hybrid environment.
- Certification in Infection Control (CIC) from the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology within 24 months.
- At least two years as a healthcare professional (preferred).
- At least two years of infection prevention experience (preferred).
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in public health or a healthcare-related field.
- Experience with National Healthcare Safety Network surveillance definitions.
- Familiarity with electronic health records and electronic surveillance systems, preferably EPIC Bugsy.
- Pennsylvania Pharmacist license, Medical Technologist (MT) certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology, or Pennsylvania Registered Nurse license, upon hire.
Responsibilities
- Consult with healthcare providers, staff, patients, and families on IPC issues, including isolation and PPE guidance.
- Assess educational needs and design and deliver IPC education tailored to audience learning styles, using innovative teaching methods.
- Apply principles of cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, with a focus on technical processes and high-level disinfection and sterilization; identify and address practice deficiencies.
- Provide on-call support on a scheduled rotation as a full-time staff member.
- Review construction plans and designs and complete Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRAs) as needed.
- Audit adherence to standard precautions, hand hygiene, transmission-based precautions, and PPE requirements.
- Assess compliance with prevention measures for device-related, surgical, and other healthcare-associated infections.
- Evaluate environmental cleanliness and patient safety conditions.
- Review daily isolation reports to ensure appropriate transmission-based precautions.
- Use data and basic epidemiologic methods to identify trends, support decisions, and set goals.
- Investigate clusters, outbreaks, unusual infections, and exposures with mentorship support; participate in epidemiologic studies as needed.
- Communicate surveillance insights with surveillance IPs and unit and department leaders, and collaborate across disciplines to implement prevention strategies.
- Attend surveillance education sessions to maintain competency and perform other surveillance duties as assigned.
- Review scientific studies and integrate evidence-based practices.
- Participate in improvement projects that support patient safety and harm reduction.
- Assist with risk assessments to identify IPC gaps and priorities and support action planning.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Annual influenza vaccination is required for employees who work in patient care buildings or have patient-facing responsibilities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
