RN Infection Prevention Nurse

Administrative Functions

• Develop, organize, implement, evaluate, coordinate, and direct our infection control program in accordance with current rules, regulations, and guidelines.
• Ensure that the facility follows current CDC, OSHA, and local regulations concerning infection control or standard/universal precautions.
• Maintain a reference library of written infection control material.
• Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Administrator.
• Aid all departments in evaluating and classifying routine and job related functions to ensure that tasks involving exposure to blood/body fluids are properly identified.
• Monitor infection control practices and procedures to ensure that all personnel are implementing our standard operating procedures for tasks involving exposure to blood/body fluids.
• Make rounds to nursing units for the purpose of case findings, review of environmental sanitation procedures, and supervision of isolation precautions/practices.
• Visit isolated residents as necessary to ensure that established isolation precautions and aseptic technique are followed.
• Ensure that laboratory support is available, including microbiological and serological services.
• Review and analyze infectious disease laboratory reports and consult with the Director of Nursing Services in developing the care plan for assuring that aseptic techniques are implemented.
• Develop and implement guidelines for the decontamination and sterilization activities performed in the facility.
• Perform periodic testing of our prepared sterile packs, bundles, and supplies, including sterilization equipment.
• Monitor the designated shelf life of medical items wrapped and sterilized at the facility.
• Reprocess as necessary.
• Ensure that all personnel follow established procedures for the disposal and removal of infective and contaminated materials from the facility.
• Prepare monthly summaries of all resident/personnel infections, corrective action taken, and the results of the corrective action.
• Prepare summaries of special investigations on the occurrence of nosocomial and community acquired infections.
• Provide the Director of Nursing Services with a report of pertinent findings and recommendations pertaining to nosocomial infection.
• Maintain a written record of all residents and employees who have nosocomial infections.
• Participate in surveys of possible carriers among residents and personnel, and in tracing possible sources of infection within the facility.
• Assist the Director of Laundry Services in developing infection control procedures for the handling of clean and soiled laundry/linen, equipment cleaning, etc.
• Assist the Director of Environmental Services in developing infection control procedures for the routine and terminal cleaning of isolation rooms and areas, equipment cleaning, etc.
• Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies as necessary or as may be directed.
• Assist the Discharge Planning Coordinator in developing and implementing discharge plans for the resident in isolation or on infection control precautions.
• Assist in the development and implementation of a facility wide TB management control program.
• Report all reportable diseases to the county and state health departments.

Committee Functions

• Serve on, participate in, and attend Infection Control Committee meetings.
• Represent the Infection Control Committee as required.
• Aid the Infection Control Committee in evaluating and revising our infection control practices and aseptic technique to ensure continued sanitation practices are maintained throughout the facility.
• Aid the Infection Control Committee in establishing the criteria for classifying all routine and reasonably anticipated job related tasks to ensure that tasks involving exposure to blood/body fluids are properly identified and recorded.
• Provide the Infection Control Committee with written and oral reports concerning all nosocomial infections within the facility.
• Ensure that major changes in our cleaning products or techniques are approved by the Infection Control Committee.
• Aid in evaluating and implementing recommendations from the Infection Control Committee.
• Provide information relative to TB assessment and make recommendations concerning the protocols to follow in isolating TB cases.

Nursing Care and Consultation Functions

• Participate in the interviewing and selection of residents for admission to the facility.
• Ensure that all nursing service personnel follow established isolation precautions and aseptic technique to include standard/universal precautions.
• Ensure that residents with known communicable or infectious diseases are placed in isolation or on infection control precautions to include standard/universal precautions.
• Interview residents or family members and explain isolation and standard/universal precautions as necessary.
• Make rounds with physicians as necessary.
• Encourage attending physicians to record and sign progress notes, physicians’ orders, etc., on a timely basis and in accordance with current regulations.
• Monitor medication passes and treatments to ensure that appropriate handwashing/hand hygiene techniques are being followed in the handling and administering of drugs, medications, and treatments.
• Review nurses’ notes of those residents in/on isolation precautions to ensure that they are informative and descriptive of the nursing care being provided and that they reflect the resident’s response to the care.
• Aid nursing service personnel in performing nursing care procedures as necessary.
• Obtain culture samples in accordance with our established procedures.
• Provide direct nursing care as necessary.

Staff Development

• Develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program that orients the new employee to our infection control and employee health program.
• Aid support services in developing, implementing, and conducting in service training programs relative to infection control.
• Aid the Inservice Director/Educator in developing annual OSHA and CDC in service training programs for hazard communication, TB management, and bloodborne pathogens standard.
• Develop a training program for all personnel required to perform tasks involving exposure to blood/body fluids.

Equipment and Safety Functions

• Recommend to the Director of Nursing Services the equipment and supply needs for maintaining an effective infection control program.
• Ensure that a stock level of medical supplies, equipment, etc., is maintained on premises at all times to adequately meet the needs of the resident.
• Aid the maintenance director in developing a preventive maintenance program for maintaining the nursing department’s equipment and supplies in a safe and operable manner.
• Develop and implement procedures that ensure nursing service supplies are used in an efficient manner to avoid waste.
• Ensure that established policies governing the labeling or tagging of contaminated equipment are followed when such equipment must be sent for repair or decontamination.

Care Plan Functions

• Aid in the development, implementation, and maintenance of a written plan of care (preliminary and comprehensive) for each resident in isolation or on infection control precautions that identifies the problems/needs of the resident, indicates the care to be given, goals to be accomplished, and which professional service is responsible for each element of care.
• Insofar as practical, encourage the resident to participate in the development and review of his/her plan of care and explain to the resident the need to follow infection control practices and standard/universal precautions.
• Aid in the scheduling of care plans to be presented and discussed at each committee meeting in relation to prevention and control of infectious diseases.
• Aid in ensuring that all personnel involved in providing care to the resident are aware of the care plan.
• Aid in ensuring that the care plan is reviewed prior to administering daily care to the isolated resident or prior to performing nursing care procedures involving exposure to blood/body fluids.
• Review nurses’ notes to determine if the care plan is being followed.
• Aid in developing and maintaining a good rapport with all services involved with the care plan to ensure that a team effort is achieved in developing the resident’s total regimen of care in preventing and controlling infections.

Budget and Planning Functions

• Aid the Director of Nursing Services in preparing the budget for the department in relation to its infection control program and activities.
• Keep abreast of economic conditions/situations and recommend to the Director of Nursing Services adjustments that ensure the continued ability to prevent and control infectious diseases.
• Recommend to the Director of Nursing Services the equipment and supply needs for the Infection Control Program and its activities.
• Report suspected or known incidence of fraud relative to false billings, cost reports, kickbacks, etc.