RN Infection Preventionist/ OR Surgical Services

Wellstar Health System•Marietta, GA

About The Position

The RN Infection Preventionist (IP) is a registered professional nurse who works under the direction of the Infection Prevention Manager or the Director/ED/AVP of Quality, with a matrix relationship to the Executive Director of Infection Prevention at the system level. The role conducts hospital surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and supports public reporting of mandated infections. It also helps develop system policies and procedures and provides education to patients, families, and team members. The Infection Preventionist routinely audits and makes physical rounds of facility departments to monitor infection prevention practices, including construction and renovation, cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization. The position also supports regulatory and accreditation compliance, responds to organizational needs, and collaborates with Employee Health and other stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Current RN license: single-state RN or RN compact multi-state license.
At least 2 years of experience in a clinical nursing role.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Excellent teamwork and relationship-building skills.
Knowledge of basic epidemiology, surveillance, data collection, and analysis.
Knowledge of infection prevention guidelines, OSHA, regulatory requirements, and CDC guidelines.
Personal time-management skills.

Nice To Haves

At least 1 year of experience in infection prevention.
Infection Control certification, preferred within 2 years.

Responsibilities

Conduct surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and epidemiologically significant organisms according to the Infection Prevention Plan, applying current NHSN definitions consistently.
Collect, aggregate, and analyze surveillance data; enter accurate data into NHSN and other repositories; run NHSN validation reports; and participate in internal and external data validation.
Investigate potential clusters and outbreaks.
Participate in environment of care rounds and oversee infection-prevention-related corrective actions.
Facilitate activities to support compliance with hand hygiene and isolation practices.
Maintain confidential and accurate surveillance records and comply with HIPAA.
Report diseases to local and state public health authorities as required by law and submit internal and external data by established deadlines.
Analyze information and disseminate relevant findings.
Develop and deliver staff education programs, provide infection prevention orientation for hospital team members, and provide patient and family education as requested by clinical caregivers.
Collaborate with the Manager to review and implement system policies and procedures.
Use available resources to respond to organizational questions and needs and maintain regulatory and accreditation compliance.
Collaborate with Employee Health regarding healthcare worker exposure and illness prevention.
Assist the Manager with the annual risk assessment, goal development, and evaluation of the surveillance plan.
Contribute to the evaluation of new products.
Perform other duties as assigned and comply with Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.