What are the responsibilities and job description for the Registered Nurse (RN) - Infection Control (Gracedale Nursing Home) position at Northampton County?
Gracedale Nursing Home, located in a beautiful rural setting outside Nazareth, Pennsylvania, has been providing the highest quality long-term care, along with rehabilitative and restorative services, to residents of the Lehigh Valley and beyond since the 1960's.
OUR MISSION:
To care for the people with healthcare needs in the most cost effective manner while preserving their dignity and pursuit of the highest quality of life.
OUR VISION:
To improve care outcomes so that Gracedale is a preferred facility for area referral sources and a facility of choice for prospective residents and employees.
JOIN OUR TEAM!
In order to be considered for this position, applicants must successfully submit a completed application prior to the posting deadline. Applications submitted with incomplete or missing education and/or work experience sections will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. These applicants will be disqualified from consideration. The attachment of a resume to the application does not fulfill this requirement and will not prevent incomplete applications from being rejected. Education and work experience fields must be completed, regardless of the presence of an attached resume.
Once the posting closes, all applications will be reviewed. The information provided on the application will be utilized to determine whether or not each applicant meets the Minimum Requirements for this position as noted in the Job Description. We encourage all applicants to provide a comprehensive, concise history of their education, certification, licensing, and employment history. Please read the Minimum Requirements thoroughly and then demonstrate that you meet these requirements on your application.
For questions regarding this posting, please contact Sherry Christman, Human Resources Analyst at schristman@norcopa.gov or 610-829-6382.
The Registered Nurse (RN) – Infection Control position assists with the facilitation of the infection control program at Gracedale Nursing Home. Work includes determining the presence and cause of infections, analyzing individual patient care, and facility patterns of care.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
This position reports directly to the Infection Control Coordinator.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
This position is not responsible for the supervision of other employees.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE POSITION
Assists the Infection Control Coordinator with the development and revision of policies and procedures for facility staff on issues such as universal precaution and isolation care. Uses and adapts Federal agency and other guidelines, ensuring goals and objectives are still met, and submits plan for review to higher level nursing and administrative staff, then implements revisions. Explains approved policies and procedures, and answers questions from affected personnel.
Makes random visits throughout the facility to observe activities, storage of materials, and how work is being carried out. Prepares notes and submits reports of findings.
Receives notices of any patient receiving antibiotics. Investigates each case, identifying the nature of infection, location, and other relevant facts. Determines any apparent systemic issue to be addressed, and prepares reports of these findings, and the conclusions.
Receives culture reports and records the presence of any infections. Traces the source of the specimen to determine the source of the infection. Takes corrective measures or refers for medical or other action. Coordinates facility response to major outbreaks of infections, and arranges testing of all patients, visitors, employees, and others who may have been exposed. Advises applicable State agency of reportable situations, responses, and results.
Required to cover for the Clinic Coordinator as needed, and to supplement the nursing administration team.
Processes forms and miscellaneous documents as necessary.
*An employee assigned to this title shall perform a majority, but may not perform all, of the duties listed in this job description. Conversely, minor level duties performed on the job may not be listed. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.
REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE – Graduation from an accredited school of nursing; AND
Possession of licensure as a Registered Nurse issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; AND
Completion of the 23 modules of the CDC Infection Prevention Training preferred; AND
Three (3) years of practical nursing experience, with an emphasis on infection control procedures preferred.
All employees of Gracedale Nursing Home will be required to attend Feeding Program training.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIESThorough knowledge of Federal and State infection control requirements.
Thorough knowledge of professional nursing principles, practices and standards.
Knowledge of quality improvement process and data analysis.
Knowledge of methods and techniques used in medical care documentation.
Knowledge of nursing methods and techniques commonly employed in clinics and/or outpatient medical offices.
Ability to identify the presence, track the course, and recommend corrective action to ameliorate the effect of infections on the facility.
Ability to monitor patients' records, maintain relevant documentation, and issue required reports and notifications.
Ability to assess extent of medical condition and/or need for medical care on the part of those with conflicting motivations.
Ability to operate a personal computer and secure information from established data processing, spreadsheet, word processing, database and graphics programs.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with medical and nursing staff administrative personnel, associates, volunteers, representatives from community groups and other agencies, and patients and their family members.
Ability to work with teams, staff administration to ensure good clinical outcomes and best practices.
Ability to read, write, speak, understand and communicate in English to perform the duties of this position.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Telephone, scheduling charts and blood pressure equipment, thermometers, patient record charts, syringe needles, blood glucose meter, surgical instruments, stethoscope, oxygen equipment, suction equipment, wound dressings, wound vac, specialty support surfaces, positioning devices, medication cards, machinery for inhalation therapy, calculator, personal computer, fax machine, and copy machine.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk or hear.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five (25) pounds.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee works primarily in patient care. The noise level in the work environment is moderately loud in patient care or other areas.
SELECTION GUIDELINES
Formal application, rating of education and experience, oral interview and reference check as well as job related tests may be required.
The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
FLSA STATUS: FLSA NON-EXEMPT (ELIGIBLE FOR OVERTIME)
DESIGNATION: CAREER SERVICE
PAY GRADE: CS-26
UNION STATUS: NON-UNION
Updated July 2025