Infection Preventionist

Care New England Health System • Warwick, RI

13d

About The Position

The Infection Preventionist (IP) helps plan, coordinate, and implement a hospital-wide program for preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections. The role performs daily infection prevention and control surveillance, monitors infection control practices across hospital departments, and collaborates with frontline staff to improve those practices. The IP develops policies and procedures to protect patients and staff from nosocomial infections, educates hospital staff at all levels, and works with Occupational Health to investigate employee infections and exposures. The role also reports infectious disease cases to the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in nursing, medical technology, or another healthcare-related field is required.
• Experience in healthcare for at least 5 to 7 years is preferred.
• Experience in infection prevention or infection control-related activities is required.
• Rhode Island Registered Nurse (RN) licensure is required for individuals with a nursing degree.
• Advanced knowledge of aseptic techniques and infection prevention and control procedures.
• Knowledge and thorough understanding of general cleaning, sanitation, waste management, and sterilization techniques.
• Knowledge of hospital nursing practices, surgical nursing techniques, medical terminology, and applied mathematics as they relate to infection prevention activities.
• Proficiency with computers and Microsoft Office programs.
• Skill in data collection and management.
• Commitment to continuing education and professional development.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Certification in Infection Control (CIC) is highly preferred; obtaining it within two years is strongly encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Review daily patient admission lists for diagnoses indicative of infectious disease and/or nosocomial infection.
• Review microbiology and laboratory reports daily and enter appropriate information into the computer.
• Conduct patient surveillance rounds on nursing units.
• Perform retrospective electronic medical record chart reviews for healthcare-acquired infection documentation and special studies.
• Provide employees with input and education regarding infection prevention and control.
• Consult with physicians and nursing staff regarding patient infections.
• Report infectious disease cases to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
• Support hospital-wide infection prevention regulatory preparedness activities, including surveys by The Joint Commission, the state health department, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• Collaborate with Occupational Health to investigate employee infections and exposures.
• Investigate suspected outbreaks and clusters and provide exposure management.
• Develop, review, revise, and implement policies and procedures.
• Analyze trends and interpret data to identify risks and prevention opportunities.
• Independently and routinely perform Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRAs) for construction and maintenance projects.
• Keep informed of current techniques and practices in the field.
• Participate in an on-call rotation.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level