Infection Preventionist 4

UCSF•San Francisco, CA

7d•$121,900 - $216,108

About The Position

The Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Prevention provides epidemiologic analysis based on surveillance results, risk assessments, communicable disease exposure follow-up, outbreak investigations, and other data. The department directs interventions at patient, location, and service levels when needs are identified and risk-reduction measures or practice changes are likely to have lasting success. It provides infection-prevention education to personnel, patients, and visitors, establishes thresholds for surgical procedure and device-related infection rates that warrant department action, and ensures regulatory, accreditation, and legal compliance related to infection prevention. The Infection Preventionist applies extensive knowledge of infection control and prevention practices and advanced professional concepts to substantial projects with broad scope and high complexity. The role provides leadership, professional stewardship, quality improvement, operational surveillance and interventions, research evaluation, and infection-prevention informatics. The position also rotates through and adheres to after-hours on-call coverage.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in infection control.
Advanced knowledge of clinical and operational infection-control issues, including policies, regulatory requirements, surveillance and investigation methodologies, data collection, epidemiology, microbiology, patient care, and related nursing issues.
In-depth knowledge of infection-control data management, analysis, research, reporting, and documentation, with the ability to contribute to studies, investigations, reports, presentations, and new protocols and policies.
Advanced organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to lead a team, prioritize tasks, and complete projects on schedule.
Advanced interpersonal skills and the ability to develop informational materials, provide education and training, and build positive working relationships with patients, families, employees, and outside personnel.
Advanced written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex clinical information clearly, collaborate across teams, and present research findings, reports, and analyses.
Ability to collaborate with management and staff across departments and provide counsel on complex issues involving functionality, clinical quality, efficiency, and infection-control program development.
Completion of an advanced hospital epidemiology course and meeting or exceeding all competencies of ICP III.
Competency with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to enter, manipulate, and extract database information; and familiarity with basic descriptive statistics such as chi-square and frequency analysis.
Ability to pass a background check.
Bachelor's degree in a health-related field or an equivalent combination of experience and training.
Current Registered Nurse license (RN) or comparable license in a related health-care field, such as CLS/MT(ASC), D.P.M., or M.D.
Current Certification in Infection Control (CIC).

Nice To Haves

At least 5 years of infection-control experience, preferably in an academic medical center.
Master's degree in a health-related field.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with leaders and colleagues to align infection-prevention program goals with organizational strategic goals; lead projects with measurable outcomes, improve quality and efficiency, communicate across the UCSF community, manage meetings, and mentor infection-prevention colleagues.
Ensure accountability for evidence-based practices and infection-prevention goals; uphold ethical and regulatory standards, assess program costs and savings, address population health and continuity-of-care concerns, and advocate for practical changes.
Implement quality-improvement strategies, use data to set priorities, apply systems thinking and reliable practices, and assess and reduce infection risks to improve patient and staff safety.
Conduct surveillance, interpret complex epidemiologic data, investigate clusters and outbreaks, and apply benchmarks and appropriate statistics.
Assess educational needs and develop and deliver infection-prevention education for staff, patients, students, and visitors.
Develop and participate in interdisciplinary clinical rounds; collaborate on cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and medical-instrument reprocessing practices, and evaluate emerging reprocessing technologies.
Monitor current and emerging technologies for infection-prevention impacts and use strategies to recognize and respond to outbreaks.
Review research, assess study design and evidence validity, identify bias, draw conclusions, and implement evidence-based changes.
Design technology-enabled workflows to improve surveillance, recognize data patterns or thresholds indicating possible clusters, and leverage team expertise and technology efficiently.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Rotate through and adhere to after-hours on-call coverage.