Infection Control Registered Nurse

We are seeking a Part-Time Infection Control Registered Nurse to provide clinical expertise in infection control and provide education to staff on infection control policies and procedures. The position will have an integral role in New Employee Orientation and staff education. The Infection Control Registered Nurse will be responsible for infection surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, infection control reporting, and provision of infection control technical support and education for the facilities’ staff; provides clinical education and evaluation for staff; function as a source of information for staff and develop, coordinate, and implement performance improvement activities for the nursing department including collecting, analyzing, and trending of data and development and monitoring of action plans.

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Job Responsibilities:

Infection Control:

• Coordinate closely with all departments to obtain information regarding patients and staff with suspected infections and ensuring control procedures are in place and adhered to.
• Monitor employee and patient illnesses and health activities, respond to problem situations in an urgent manner, and report the number and type to the Infection Control Committee.
• Initiate discussion regarding possible epidemiological causes of illnesses, specifically the determination of nosocomial versus community acquired infections.
• Contribute significantly to any interventions or recommendations made by the committee in response to the discussion about an illness.
• Coordinate with the Infection Control Committee to determine the direction of surveillance activities.
• Conduct periodic inspections to ensure that procedures for the control of infections are implemented and adhered to.
• Identify objectives for infection control monitoring, data collection and reporting.
• Prepare monthly reports to the Safety/Risk Management Committee, Infection Control Committee, Medical Staff Committee, and Nursing Administration Committee that includes data on infection rates by nursing units, site, and pathogen.
• Notify the County and/or State Health Department/Board of any reportable diseases, adhering to all internal county and state procedures.
• Coordinate with the Infection Control Committee to update and revise facility infection control policies, procedures and practices; maintaining compliance with OSHA, TJC, and CMS regulations including antibiotic stewardship.
• Collaborate with the Director of Performance Improvement/Quality/Risk, in the coordination, integration and implementation of the facility wide performance improvement activities to ensure compliance with company policies and state/federal regulatory and accreditation standards.
• Prepare and maintain documentation of audits, investigations, communication and corrective actions to support facility compliance activities.
• Analyze root causes of performance issues and suggest corrective actions.
• Utilize information and data gathered from various sources to detect trends, patterns of performance or potential problems.
• Act as a resource by assessing and evaluating current systems or problem areas, making recommendations for improvement to the Director of Performance Improvement.

Educator:

• Keep track of new hires and their competency by ensuring all training materials are complete and provided to HR Director.
• Meet with the orientee at least 2 times a week to make sure they are getting what they need from orientation on the floor.
• Conduct and track just in time trainings
• Conduct and track annual competencies
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Licensure:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred.
• Unencumbered registered nursing license granted by the state of Nevada Board of Nursing or a Master’s degree in Public Health/Epidemiology.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience as a registered nurse in a behavior healthcare facility preferred or equivalency in public health and epidemiology.
• Infection Control Certification is required within 1st year of position.
• Timely renewal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation for healthcare professionals certification, annual professional skills verification and “Handle with Care” (psychiatric crisis management) certification.
• Knowledge of infection control procedures, OSHA, Joint Commission, and CDC guidelines.
• Knowledge of the principles of epidemiology and infectious disease.
• Knowledge of the County Health department procedures and practices.