Position Description:
The Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program within the Communicable and Environmental Diseases and Emergency Preparedness (CEDEP) division of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is accepting applications for a PHNC2.This position will assist on the HAI/AR program’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) activities. EIP is a network of 10 state health departments and academic medical centers with the goal of conducting research, surveillance, prevention, and control of emerging infectious diseases.

The PHNC2 will assist in our current EIP projects, including the hospital-based hospital point prevalence survey (HPPS), and the EIP surveillance of Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative Bacilli Surveillance Initiative (MuGSI) and Clostridioides difficile (CDI) within surveillance catchment areas. Description of these projects is provided below.

The hospital-based hospital point prevalence survey (HPPS) will quantify the burden of HAIs in hospitals in the state as well as characterize antibiotic use. This project is led by a senior epidemiologist and assisted by a senior pharmacist and a junior pharmacist. The PHNC2 will assist with all aspects of the HPPS project including recruitment, medical chart abstractions, data reporting, and logistics management. Data are abstracted using CDC’s case report form and subsequently entered in CDC’s case management and detection system.

The HAI/AR Program conducts medical chart abstractions on all MuGSI and CDI cases in the catchment areas. These data are abstracted using CDC’s case report form and subsequently entered in CDC’s case management and detection system. The data collected contributes towards improving our understanding of risk factors for MuGSI and CDI and in creating national strategies to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance organisms. The PHNC will participate in the EIP surveillance of MuGSI and CDI within surveillance catchment areas.

Job Duties Include

supporting the HAI/AR program’s EIP HPPS, CDI, and MuGSI projects by:

• Assisting with recruitment of hospitals and clinics,
• Processing laboratory reports of ESBL and CDI from across the state to determine which meet the case definition
• Conducting medical chart abstractions and completing the case report form (CRF), per CDC guideline
• Entering data into CDC’s case management and case detection system in a timely manner
• Completing requested chart re-abstractions for selected cases, per CDC guideline
• Travelling to hospitals, with significant advance notice, to conduct abstraction activities.
• Performing project management support for other projects, within the PHNCs current skillset, as requested
• Participating in professional development activities.
• Collaborate with the Project First Line Lead to promote, monitor, document and deliver CDC PFL educational modules to internal/external stakeholders.

Job Type: Contract

Pay: $36.00 - $37.00 per hour

Medical specialties:

• Public Health

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person