RN - Infection Control, Quality Improvement, Risk Management

The Hospital Authority of Miller County•Edison, GA

About The Position

The RN designs, implements, and directs infection control programs for the nursing home and manages the infectious waste management system. The role includes infection surveillance, analysis, reporting, setting standards, and evaluating compliance with practices intended to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections. It also coordinates the facility’s Performance Improvement (QI) Program, supports regulatory compliance, and analyzes incident reports to help develop plans to reduce risk and incidents. The position plans, implements, evaluates, and analyzes employee health services, including pre-employment and annual health assessments, immunizations, work-related exposures, illnesses, and injuries. It establishes and evaluates standards for handling special medical waste in compliance with applicable regulations. The program manager provides education, consultation, and guidance to staff, medical staff, patients and residents, families, and visitors, and communicates relevant information to senior management and medical staff officers. The role supports quality improvement through infection-related statistical analysis and trend monitoring, maintains infection-control records and committee minutes, provides staff education, reports required information to committees and agencies, and recommends measures to improve care and reduce disease-transmission risks. The position works in a well-lighted, air-conditioned environment with moderate noise, with possible exposure to high noise, bright lights, limited hazardous substances, body fluids, or infectious organisms. Workloads and stress may fluctuate, duties may change without loss of efficiency, and overtime may be scheduled as needed. Physical demands include continuous standing and walking; frequent bending, stooping, pushing, pulling, and lifting or carrying; and occasional sitting, climbing, twisting, and reaching above shoulder level.

Requirements

Current Georgia RN licensure.
Active BCLS certification.
Experience with infection control and epidemiology guidelines and with specific regulatory licensure mandates from state and federal agencies.
Knowledge of relevant regulatory, accrediting, and advisory requirements, including local and state regulations and CDC recommendations.
Working knowledge of medical and nursing education, patient care management, microbiology, pathology, immunology, epidemiology, and medical statistics.
Ability to interact effectively with healthcare personnel at all levels, other healthcare facilities, public health services at local, state, and national levels, and the CDC.
Ability to take a leadership role in cost-effective prevention of transmissible diseases.
Ability to communicate in English verbally and in writing, with strong written and verbal skills.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to hear alarms, telephone signals, and normal speaking voices; near-normal near and far vision and ability to distinguish colors; good manual dexterity and eye-hand-foot coordination; and ability to perform repetitive tasks or motions.
Ability to stand and walk continuously; bend, stoop, push, pull, and lift or carry up to 20 pounds frequently; lift or carry more than 20 pounds with assistance frequently; and occasionally climb, twist at the waist, reach above shoulder level, and lift or carry more than 50 pounds with assistance.
Ability to change between tasks of different natures without loss of efficiency or composure and to work during periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree is desirable.
Additional languages are preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, integrate, manage, and control the functional components of the infection control program; update it annually and seek approval from administration and the infection control committee.
Develop, integrate, manage, and control the employee health program; update it annually and seek approval from administration and the infection control committee.
Organize and maintain infection-control materials and records, and serve on committees that facilitate integration of infection-control standards.
Evaluate routine and emergency infection-control measures practiced in the nursing home.
Develop, monitor, and evaluate practices for controlling special medical waste and follow-up needed to comply with current state regulations.
Communicate with medical and nursing education staff about employee health and healthcare-provider education needs.
Support the quality improvement program through statistical analysis of nosocomial infections and trending indicators associated with infection control and employee health services.
Conduct surveillance activities and apply epidemiological approaches to problem solving.
Provide formal and informal education programs to personnel and keep staff informed of changes to regulations, practices, and equipment.
Make timely recommendations that influence standards of care and minimize disease-transmission risk.
Analyze and project infection risks and potential effects on patients, residents, employees, the environment, and the community.
Prepare, evaluate, and report facility-acquired infections; notify the state of notifiable communicable diseases through culture-report surveillance; monitor staff infections; and manage employee exposure incidents, including BBP and TB exposures.
Maintain infection-control reports and records, report findings to the Infection Control Committee at least quarterly or more often when indicated, and report to the medical staff when needed.
Maintain Infection Control Committee minutes and distribute them as indicated.
Develop infection-control quality indicators and implement plans to improve care and provide a safe environment for healthcare workers; provide information to the Infection Control QI Coordinator and Committee using established reporting procedures.
Establish standards that meet licensing and accrediting guidelines.
Participate in public health department activities beneficial to the hospital, nursing home, and community, such as an annual health fair.
Provide infection-control continuing education to staff and participate in new-employee orientation and annual updates.
Prepare agendas and minutes for Performance Improvement Committee meetings.
Report quality improvement data monthly and report data to NRC monthly.
Track medication errors by nurse and report them to the DON; look for trends in falls, behaviors, and other areas; and educate staff about concerns.
Perform other duties as required and complete job functions according to departmental policies and procedures.
Maintain current knowledge, attend staff meetings and required education, complete competency evaluations and in-services, wear protective clothing and equipment as appropriate, and comply with professional, ethical, confidentiality, and organizational requirements.
Communicate and interact professionally and helpfully with coworkers and other departments, refer coworkers to appropriate sources when unable to answer questions, and support the organization’s mission.