Registered Nurse- Infection Preventionist

Veterans Health Administration • Minneapolis, MN

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Infection Preventionist (IP) Registered Nurse (RN) is a professional nurse who brings specialized expertise in infection prevention and control, with an emphasis on identifying and advancing opportunities to improve patient safety and care outcomes, and to safeguard the health of Veterans, staff, and visitors across the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• English Language Proficiency.
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)
• Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification.

Nice To Haves

• BSN or MSN preferred
• Experience in Public Health and/or infection prevention and control
• Certification in Infection Control (CIC) and or Public Health certification
• Coursework or academic background in epidemiology, biostatistics, or population health
• Experience with Healthcare Safety Network or other national surveillance reporting systems

Responsibilities

• Lead HAI and infection-risk surveillance using standardized methodologies and benchmarks such as NHSN, VACO, and the MDRO Program Office.
• Identify and respond to reportable or actionable organisms by reviewing microbiology and laboratory reports daily, including MDROs, C. difficile, and tuberculosis.
• Conduct outbreak and infection-cluster investigations, including case definitions, line listings, epidemic curves, and coordinated response activities.
• Ensure timely isolation and appropriate precautions for patients, including correct isolation categories, PPE, disinfection supplies, and transmission-based precautions.
• Conduct daily clinical rounding with nursing and care teams to identify, prevent, and resolve infection risks at the point of care.
• Monitor, validate, and submit infection-prevention data to IPEC and other required systems while resolving discrepancies and maintaining data integrity.
• Evaluate infection-prevention program effectiveness across all clinical and nonclinical practice settings and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Perform environmental rounds and compliance audits to assess adherence to infection-control practices and regulatory requirements.
• Provide expert consultation and education on infection precautions, prevention procedures, and communicable-disease transmission, serving as a subject-matter resource to staff and departments and supporting safe, compliant patient care.
• Apply evidence-based practices, published guidelines, and regulatory requirements-including CDC, NHSN, Joint Commission, APIC, AORN, AAMI, and OIG standards-to evaluate and improve MVAHCS infection-prevention practices, products, and procedures.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• regular salary increases
• potential for performance awards
• 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
• federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree