Sr. Infection Prevention Coordinator

Emory•Atlanta, GA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for an experienced Sr. Infection Prevention Coordinator to join our Centralized Surveillance team. This role involves overseeing surveillance, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The successful candidate will conduct systematic reviews of infections, identify trends and deficiencies in infection prevention practices through chart reviews and in-person rounds on nursing units. This position ensures that all infection reporting activities comply with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), and other regulatory and accreditation bodies. The ideal candidate will possess skills that foster a culture of continuous improvement in reducing infections through Lean methodology, coaching, tools, data analysis, reliability, and sustainability.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited school of Nursing OR have a degree in a Health Care related fields (Public health, Clinical microbiology etc.).
RNs must have a current licensure in the state of Georgia.
4 years of recent health care experience (within the past 5 years) which includes 2 years of clinical infection control experience is required
Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) from the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) is required.
Knowledgeable of blood-borne pathogens and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, exposure control plan.
Participates in IP on-call rotation and coverage assignments, which may include coverage of operational IP duties when needed.
Demonstrated knowledge of basic principles of epidemiology, surveillance, data collection and analysis.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, leadership, facilitation, and time management skills.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as, in a collaborative, team environment.
Ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines.
Skill and ability in Microsoft Office applications, surveillance system applications, and Electronic Medical Records (e.g. Epic).

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree
Certification in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Lean Six Sigma Healthcare or QPI Certifications Green and/or Black Belt, Healthcare Accreditation Certification Program either CMS or Infection Prevention (HACP-CMS or HACP-IP)

Responsibilities

Performs HAI surveillance through collection, review, analysis and interpretation of data from various sources.
Assists in development of IP policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Identifies organisms of epidemiological significance and follows up with appropriate internal and external departments (department of public health, emerging infections program, etc.).
Provides assistance and expertise, which may include prevention and control of the transmission of infectious disease, management of isolation patients, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, safe injection practices, disinfection, sterilization, environmental cleaning, facilities management (maintenance, renovation and construction), and water management.
Validate and submit monthly HAI data for internal leadership and NHSN.
Reviews and updates facility survey in NHSN on annual basis. Update location information (such as bed counts and unit types) in NHSN on an as needed basis.
Submits HAI data to external organizations/programs as required (e.g. CMS IQR, Leapfrog, QHIP).
Participates in or leads hospital rounds in relation to HAI prevention.
Provides analyses for HAIs, epidemiological significant organisms, clusters of illness, and communicable diseases as well as any data reports upon request.
Provides guidance on ad hoc reports related to investigations and process improvement.
Collaborate with Clinical Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Emory Digital teams to develop and maintain surveillance and analysis tools.
Identifies organisms of epidemiological significance and follows up with appropriate internal and external departments (department of public health, emerging infections program, etc.).
Provides guidance to physicians, nurses, and healthcare personnel concerning identified infections and surveillance processes.
Assists and supports on IP related education, projects, and presentation activities.
Supports Division of Quality programs including but not limited to: Apparent Cause Analysis (ACA), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Professional Practice Evaluation (PPE), and Performance Improvement (PI).
Works collaboratively with Hospital Epidemiologists, infectious disease physician(s) and assigned facility IP team(s).
Participates in Hospital IP Committee Meetings.
Collaborate with employee health and safety to ensure best practice for employee health and exposures as needed.
Communicates effectively with executive and leadership teams at entities, and outside agencies regarding surveillance activities
Work with operational leaders to identify performance improvement opportunities within HAI trends.
Assists in the development and implementation of the annual infection control plan and risk assessment.