RN Infection Prevention Specialist

About the role

This is a per diem position implementing infection prevention and control activities within hospital and ambulatory settings. Responsibilities include conducting infection surveillance and risk assessments, identifying infectious disease processes, supporting data collection and analysis, and reporting to public health agencies. The role also assists management with patient safety initiatives related to infection control.

Responsibilities

• Interpret data to determine infection risks to patients, staff, and the community.
• Investigate epidemiologically important infections, clusters, and exposures to identify sources.
• Identify and eliminate infectious risks throughout the facility.
• Facilitate activities that support hospital compliance with government and agency regulations.
• Document infection prevention–related activities and create conventional and computer-aided records and information.
• Assist management in preparation for external regulatory reviews/surveys to maintain related accreditation(s).
• Report, document, and escalate findings to management and perform interventions as directed.
• Participate in facility Root Cause Analysis (RCA), contribute to facility audits, and assist in implementing basic improvement strategies.
• Participate in departmental rounding, infection prevention orientation, and regular in-services to all team members on standards of care, infection risks, evidence-based practices, sterilization, high/low-level disinfection, hand hygiene, instrument and equipment storage, etc.
• Partner with multidisciplinary team members to optimize patient care and maintain/increase compliance with infection prevention and control practices.
• Take ownership of self-identified goals and professional development.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology, Medical Technology, Public Health, Nursing, or a related field, required.
• Current license to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State, preferred.
• Current certification by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC), preferred.
• 1–3 years of relevant experience, required.
• 2+ years of infection prevention experience, strongly preferred.
• Experience with Epic Bugsy, a plus.

Salary

The salary range and/or hourly rate is a good faith determination of potential base compensation and may be modified in the future. Factors considered may include location, specialty, service line, years of relevant experience, education, credentials, negotiated contracts, budget, and internal equity.