Infection Preventionist Quality Specialist

Brattleboro Retreat • Brattleboro, VT

123d

About The Position

The Infection Preventionist/Quality Specialist is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating infection prevention and control (IPC) activities and supporting the Brattleboro Retreat’s comprehensive quality and patient safety program. This role serves as a subject matter expert on infection prevention practices, collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to reduce healthcare-associated infections, ensures compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards, and supports performance improvement initiatives to advance clinical outcomes, patient safety, and organizational excellence.

Requirements

• Current Vermont RN license.
• Associate’s degree in nursing.
• Three (3) years’ experience in infection prevention, quality improvement, or patient safety in a healthcare setting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of infection prevention principles, regulatory requirements, and performance improvement methodologies.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or related discipline.
• Psychiatric or mental health experience.
• Certification in Infection Control (CIC) preferred or obtained within 2 years of hire.
• Certification in healthcare quality (e.g., CPHQ) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, and monitors the Infection Prevention & Control Plan in accordance with CDC, CMS, OSHA, Vermont Department of Health, and Joint Commission standards.
• Conducts ongoing surveillance for healthcare-associated infections, outbreaks, and infection risks across inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and mental health settings.
• Analyzes and interprets infection prevention data; reports findings to clinical leadership, quality committees, and regulatory agencies as required.
• Leads outbreak investigations and develops mitigation strategies in collaboration with clinical, environmental services, and facilities management teams.
• Provides expert guidance on evidence-based practices, including hand hygiene, isolation precautions, environmental cleaning, and disinfection processes.
• Coordinates staff education, competency validation, and training related to infection prevention and control.
• Collaborates with the Quality Department to design, implement, and evaluate quality improvement projects and patient safety initiatives.
• Assists in the development, monitoring, and reporting of key performance indicators, core measures, and patient safety goals.
• Conducts audits and tracer activities to assess compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Ensures compliance with regulations and standards.
• Supports root cause analyses (RCAs), failure mode and effects analyses (FMEAs), and other event investigations to identify system vulnerabilities and develop corrective actions.
• Facilitates interdisciplinary quality improvement teams to address clinical and operational priorities.
• Prepares for and participates in regulatory and accreditation surveys (e.g., Joint Commission, CMS, state inspections).
• Ensures timely submission of infection prevention and quality reports to internal stakeholders and external agencies.
• Maintains accurate and organized documentation to demonstrate compliance with all applicable standards.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees