What are the responsibilities and job description for the Registered Nurse, Infection Prevention position at Townsen Memorial?
SUMMARY:
The Infection Prevention Registered Nurse is responsible for leading clinical infection prevention and control efforts across the health system through surveillance, regulatory compliance, staff education, and implementation of evidence-based practices. This role applies clinical nursing expertise to identify infection risks, investigate outbreaks, ensure adherence to CDC/OSHA standards, and drive improvement in patient safety and infection prevention outcomes.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The Infection Prevention Registered Nurse is responsible for leading clinical infection prevention and control efforts across the health system through surveillance, regulatory compliance, staff education, and implementation of evidence-based practices. This role applies clinical nursing expertise to identify infection risks, investigate outbreaks, ensure adherence to CDC/OSHA standards, and drive improvement in patient safety and infection prevention outcomes.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Lead hospital-wide infection prevention and control program activities in alignment with CDC, OSHA, and public
- Conduct clinical surveillance and analysis of healthcare-associated infections (CAUTI, CLABSI, SSI, and other
- Perform direct clinical rounding to assess adherence to infection prevention practices at the bedside.
- Investigate suspected infection outbreaks, determine clinical sources, and initiate containment measures.
- Serve as clinical subject matter expert on infection prevention practices for nursing and medical staff.
- Ensure compliance with infection prevention regulations and immediately escalate compliance risks.
- Educate clinical staff and patients on infection prevention strategies and evidence-based practices.
- Monitor staff and patient illness trends and coordinate timely outbreak reporting to internal leadership and external public health agencies.
- Lead hand hygiene compliance initiatives, including observation, feedback, and corrective action planning.
- Participate in policy and protocol development related to infection prevention and patient safety.
- Collaborate with physicians, nursing leadership, and quality teams to implement prevention strategies.
- Ensure safe infection control practices related to isolation precautions, PPE usage, and biohazard handling.
- Maintain accurate documentation and reporting of infection prevention activities and outcomes.
- Perform other related tasks as needed.
- Strong clinical nursing knowledge with expertise in infection prevention and patient safety.
- Solid understanding of CDC, OSHA, and public health infection control regulations.
- Ability to apply clinical judgment to infection surveillance and outbreak investigation.
- Strong leadership and education skills for influencing clinical practice.
- Excellent communication skills across interdisciplinary teams and leadership levels.
- Proficiency in clinical documentation systems and data tracking tools.
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills in high-risk clinical environments.
- Associates Degree in Nursing
- Registered Nurse in the State of Texas
- Two (2) years of experience in clinical nursing or;
- Master’s degree in health-related field, in lieu of experience
- Basic Life Support certified
- Certification in Infection Control (CIC) certified from the CBIC within two years of hir