Infection Prevention Specialist II - Full time - Detroit

General Summary

Under minimal supervision, assesses, evaluates, and provides for the needs of the professional staff in the areas of infectious disease and infection prevention and control practices. Conducts a robust surveillance program for nosocomial infection according to internal thresholds, external benchmarks when available, and as required by law. Utilizes effective methodologies to improve performance and practice, thereby reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Provides education to the multidisciplinary team and community as appropriate.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Project Management
• Uses evidenced based best practice(s) and/or infection prevention and control/safety/regulatory standards to independently assess project needs
• Guides the selection of appropriate team members to address project needs
• Guides and/or develops a work plan including timelines and measurable goals
• Ensures teams are organized through meeting agendas and a method to document goals, responsibility, and progress
• Demonstrates the ability to develop an effective communication plan (including education if appropriate)
• Sets up and seeks leadership guidance appropriately to assist with the identification of obstacles/barriers to success
• Maintains project documents
• Education and Information Exchange
• Designs and delivers formal and informal education to all members of the health care team and support staff, external customers (including students), administrative staff on patient safety and clinical process improvement, performance measurement and management, change management, sustain and spread methodologies, and other key subjects critical to the support of infection prevention and control, patient safety and clinical performance improvement including external regulatory and quality agencies
• Provides informal training, as well as formal training classes for healthcare workers, defining infectious diseases and infection prevention and control practices, demonstrating and/or presenting proper aseptic and isolation procedures and reinforcing the need for continued high standards of infection prevention and control and follow-up
• Interpret data for customers including leadership
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making using information technology
• Interacts and communicates with assigned clinical areas, committees, and designated individuals to coordinate and integrate components of the infection prevention and control program
• Collaborative Work
• Independently conducts site visits/risk assessments in collaboration with construction teams, and or management, to ensure compliance with all applicable requirements
• Collaborates with Employee health related to infection prevention and control concerns; reports communicable diseases as required by law and according to hospital procedure
• Collaborates with other departments (e.g., nursing, volunteers, EVS, etc.) as needed
• Patient Safety Work
• Using surveillance and other data, monitors plans and implements strategies to improve patient care
• Makes regular rounds of patient care and treatment areas to observe clinical practices, uses techniques of epidemiological and infection prevention and control practices to measure infection risks of assigned areas to patients, employees, and visitors
• Notifies and communicates with appropriate stakeholders regarding patients and/or personnel exposed to infectious or communicable diseases
• Identifies and reports significant clinical practices that can adversely affect patient outcomes or employee safety
• Utilizing the PDCA (model for improvement) or other performance improvement tools, serves as a resource person to nursing and other professional personnel on infectious diseases and infection control related matters, identifying educational needs, techniques, etc. to improve the quality of care and reduce the risks of infection to other patients and personnel
• Participates in epidemiological and special investigations and research projects, investigates the application of equipment to be used in Infection prevention and control and participates in developing techniques relative to the use of such
• Miscellaneous
• Advances knowledge by attending workshops, lectures, seminars, and educational conferences
• Assumes additional responsibilities and performs other duties as assigned

Educational and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing or other health related field required.
• Master's Degree in Nursing, Public Health, or related field preferred.
• Graduate coursework in statistics, clinical microbiology, epidemiology and infection prevention and control preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in healthcare required – preferably in a hospital or ambulatory setting required.
• Experience in leading complex change and project management working with the multidisciplinary health care team; senior leadership.
• A professional level of knowledge of disease processes, transmission methods of infectious diseases, clinical bacteriology, clinical care practices as they relate to the planning and implementing nursing care plans preferred.
• Basic computer skills including experience with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint), and electronic health records.
• Basic proficiency in medical terminology and a clear understanding of medical confidentiality.

Certifications/Licenses Required

• A State of Michigan RN license if applicant is a nurse.
• Certification in Infection Control (CIC).

Physical Demands/Work Conditions

Working conditions are varied. Exposure to patient care environments when making surveillance rounds and to a normal office environment (with minimal exposure to noise, dust, or extreme temperatures) when evaluating and analyzing data.

Additional Details

This posting represents the major duties, responsibilities, and authorities of this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that incumbents may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described above.