Nurse Educator, Quality Assurance & Infection Preventionist, Home Care - Full-Time, Days

The University of Chicago Medicine•Harvey, IL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Be a part of a world-class academic healthcare system, UChicago Medicine, as a Nurse Educator, Quality Assurance & Infection Preventionist in our Home Care. This position is a 100% onsite opportunity, and you will be traveling in the field between patient's homes. You will need to be based in the greater Chicagoland area. Eligible for a Sign-On Bonus up to $15,000 The Nurse Educator, Quality Assurance & Infection Preventionist is a multifaceted clinical role responsible for ensuring excellence in staff education, regulatory compliance, quality outcomes, and infection prevention across the Home Care continuum, including Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative Care services. This role integrates clinical education, quality assurance and performance improvement, and infection prevention oversight to support safe, compliant, patient-centered care. The incumbent will serve as a subject matter expert in CMS Conditions of Participation, The Joint Commission standards, and Illinois Department of Public Health regulations, ensuring ongoing readiness for surveys, audits, and regulatory reviews.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Illinois.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association (AHA).
Minimum of 3–5 years of clinical nursing experience, with experience in: Home Health, Hospice, or Palliative Care
Clinical education, quality assurance, or infection control.
Demonstrated knowledge of CMS Conditions of Participation and The Joint Commission standards.
Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
Prior experience in regulatory compliance, survey readiness, or leadership roles

Nice To Haves

Master of Science in Nursing degree (MSN), Healthcare Administration, Education, Public Health, or a related field

Responsibilities

The Nurse Educator functions as the primary clinical education leader for the Home Care department.
Develop, implement, and maintain structured onboarding programs for newly hired clinical staff, including RNs, LPNs, Aides, Therapists, and other interdisciplinary team members.
Ensure orientation includes regulatory requirements, clinical competencies, documentation standards, infection control practices, and patient safety protocols.
Tailor onboarding plans based on discipline, experience level, and service line (Home Health, Hospice, Palliative Care).
Design and deliver continuing education programs based on identified learning needs, regulatory changes, quality data trends, and organizational goals.
Provide education related to: CMS Conditions of Participation (Home Health and Hospice), Joint Commission standards, Illinois state regulations, evidence-based clinical practices, end-of-life care, symptom management, and palliative interventions, facilitate annual mandatory education, in-services, and skills labs.
Develop, validate, and track initial and annual clinical competencies. Conduct skills assessments, return demonstrations, and competency validations (e.g., wound care, medication management, infusion therapy, end-of-life care). Identify performance gaps and collaborate with leadership on remediation plans.
Serve as a clinical resource for staff regarding best practices, documentation standards, and regulatory interpretation. Support preceptors and mentors in developing staff clinical proficiency.
The Quality Assurance Nurse ensures compliance, accuracy, and excellence in clinical documentation and care delivery.
Conduct routine and focused chart audits across Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative Care services to ensure: Compliance with CMS and TJC standards, accurate and complete clinical documentation, medical necessity and skilled service justification, timely completion of assessments, care plans, and visit documentation, identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement and report findings to leadership.
Manage Additional Documentation Requests (ADRs) from Medicare and other payers, review records for accuracy, completeness, and compliance prior to submission, collaborate with billing, coding, and clinical teams to reduce denials and improve reimbursement outcomes.
Conduct joint home visits with field staff to assess: Clinical practice, patient safety, compliance with policies and procedures, adherence to infection control practices, provide real-time coaching and feedback to staff.
Participate in Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) activities. Analyze quality indicators, survey findings, incident reports, and patient outcomes. Assist in developing corrective action plans and monitoring effectiveness.
Support ongoing readiness for CMS, TJC, and IDPH surveys. Participate in mock surveys and staff education related to survey expectations.
The Infection Preventionist provides oversight and leadership for the organization’s Infection Prevention and Control Program.
Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive Infection Prevention and Control Program compliant with: CMS Conditions of Participation, Joint Commission standards, CDC guidelines, and Illinois Department of Public Health regulations. Ensure policies and procedures reflect current evidence-based practices.
Monitor, track, and analyze infection data, including healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), identify trends and potential outbreaks, prepare infection control reports for leadership, QAPI committees, and regulatory agencies.
Lead infection prevention initiatives focused on risk reduction and staff compliance, conduct root cause analyses related to infection events, develop and implement mitigation strategies and corrective action plans.
Educate staff on infection prevention practices including standard and transmission-based precautions, PPE usage, cleaning and disinfection, bag technique and validate staff competencies related to infection prevention. Validate staff competencies related to infection prevention.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting of required infection data. Serve as the primary infection control contact during surveys, audits, or outbreaks. Collaborate with public health authorities as required.