Registered Nurse – Infection Preventionist (Full Time, 80 Hours per Pay Period)

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The Infection Preventionist RN/ or other clinical field is responsible for the detection, documentation, analysis, and prevention of infections occurring in Bronson Methodist Hospital patients, staff and visitors.  The individual reports to the Infection Prevention Manager .The individual makes critical decisions and clinical judgments to implement Bronson infection prevention policy.  The individual may delegate selected tasks that fall within the scope of practice to the department administrative assistant.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS Licenses, registrations, and certifications required at time of hire or within a stated period from date of hire by the state and/or agencies responsible for reviewing and approving all or part of the BHG's operation.  Preferences are also included and indicated as such.

Position requires the licenses, registrations, and certifications required for performance of the individual’s professional duties (e.g. current nursing license, BLS certification, etc.). Certification in Infection Control (CIC) is preferred.  If not certified at time of hire, incumbent must be willing to pursue and obtain certification within 2 years of hire after job experience requirements are achieved.  Certification is renewable (e.g. RN or CIC) and must be kept current as long as the individual holds the position.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES Any special skill or abilities that may not be clear by the educational requirements or need further explanation, e.g. typing, word processing, personal computers, etc.

• Must attain and maintain competence in the current knowledge base supporting infection prevention.  Such material is found in a variety of sources including CDC and Joint Commission guidelines, State of Michigan regulations, and the infection prevention professional literature.
• The individual must serve as a consultant on all infection prevention issues to physicians and staff and to regularly organize lectures and teach infection prevention content to new and existing employees.
• The Infection Preventionist (IP) is expected to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to improve infection prevention and control practices system wide. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Sterilization and high-level disinfection
  • Cleaning and disinfection of both patient care and public environments
  • Reprocessing and safe management of used medical equipment
• The IP will also work with multi-disciplinary teams on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Device-associated infections
  • Procedure-associated infections
  • Infections resulting from inappropriate use of antimicrobial treatments
• The individual should be familiar with the Bronson quality improvement processes and techniques and frequently participate in investigations and process improvement efforts related to infection prevention throughout the hospital system.
• Written reports and charting must be complete, accurate and legible, and are permanently retained as legal documents.
• The individual must be familiar with the IC section of the current Joint Commission standards and ensure that Bronson Healthcare Group is in compliance with each element of the standards.
• The individual must have demonstrated competency in electronic information systems (both Personal Computer-based and hospital information systems, etc), including all software used for data analysis and expression (word processing, spreadsheet, database, statistical analysis, data presentation, use of internet searches and consulting websites etc).
• Must have a high level of interpersonal skills for the purpose of acquiring and giving correct information
• Must be able to verbally communicate important information to others in a timely manner.
• Must represent the department in frequent committee meetings
• Encounters with physicians, other healthcare workers, patients, and patient families must include the highest degree of accuracy of information and discretion to avoid misunderstandings that could place the hospital at great legal risk
• Must work closely with many diverse groups and departments both within and outside of Bronson Healthcare Group (e.g., Performance Improvement, Nursing, Pharmacy, Laboratory, physician offices, medical staff, county and state health departments, and other affiliated Additional Job Description hospitals)
• Accurately identifies and documents all nosocomial infections from surveillance activities and review of hospital data using CDC definitions of infections.
• Coordinates the BMH hand hygiene program, including volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision; consults managers of low-performing unit managers to strategize ways to improve hand hygiene compliance among staff.
• Helps to performs outbreak investigations as needed. • Monitors daily all patients in special precautions.
• Consults with employees, physicians, patients and patient families regarding Infection Control. Serves as the institutional consultant concerning outbreaks of infectious diseases and bioterrorism activity within the community.
• Teaches the infection control modules of new employee orientation and reviews all relevant computer-based training modules for continuing education.
• Assesses staff and physician compliance with infection control policies and practices and addresses by daily surveillance and annual unit environmental rounds, corrects any problems immediately through education and other behavior modification techniques. • Assists in reviewing and editing the infection control policies of all Bronson departments and corporations
• Reports reportable diseases daily to the local health departments as required by Michigan regulations.
• Correctly records all relevant work activities for billing and workload functions. • Attends at least one statewide or national meetings per year and reports all new information to the department within a reasonable period after return. Attends all relevant local continuing education events.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee works in a clean, well-lighted, temperature-controlled environment at an ergonomically correct workstation. The noise level in the environment is low to moderate. The individual has the potential to be exposed to infectious diseases and hazardous materials, and training in blood-borne pathogens, tuberculosis, and the use of personal protective equipment are required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, stand, and walk. The position requires movement to all areas of the campus to conduct surveillance and to attend committee meetings, including areas served by elevators and stairs. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to view computer terminals for extended periods.  Computer keyboard work is essential to the position.

INTERPERSONAL REQUIREMENTS A brief paragraph that summarizes the communication responsibilities, including with whom, written/verbal, frequency, reporting relationship, etc.

The Infection Preventionist must have a high level of interpersonal skills for the purpose of acquiring and giving correct information. The individual must be able to verbally communicate important information to others in a timely manner.  The individual must represent the department in frequent committee meetings.  Encounters with physicians, other healthcare workers, patients, and patient families must include the highest degree of accuracy of information and discretion to avoid misunderstandings that could place the hospital at great legal risk. The position is essentially collaborative, and the individual must work closely with many diverse groups and departments both within and outside of Bronson Healthcare Group (e.g., Performance Improvement, Nursing, Pharmacy, Laboratory, physician offices, medical staff, county and state health departments, and other affiliated hospitals).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Reviews medical records and other hospital reports and data to detect nosocomial infections and write infection reports. Performs daily infection control unit rounds for surveillance.  Surveillance includes patients of all ages.
• Accurately identifies and documents all nosocomial infections from surveillance activities and review of hospital data using CDC definitions of infections.
• Coordinates the BMH hand hygiene program, including volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision; consults managers of low-performing unit managers to strategize ways to improve hand hygiene compliance among staff.
• Helps to performs outbreak investigations as needed.
• Monitors daily all patients in special precautions.
• Consults with employees, physicians, patients and patient families regarding Infection Control. 
• Serves as the institutional consultant concerning outbreaks of infectious diseases and bioterrorism activity within the community. 
• Teaches the infection control modules of new employee orientation and reviews all relevant computer-based training modules for continuing education.
• Assesses staff and physician compliance with infection control policies and practices and addresses by daily surveillance and annual unit environmental rounds, corrects any problems immediately through education and other behavior modification techniques.
• Assists in reviewing and editing the infection control policies of all Bronson departments and corporations.
• Reports reportable diseases daily to the local health departments as required by Michigan regulations.
• Correctly records all relevant work activities for billing and workload functions.
• Attends at least one statewide or national meeting per year and reports all new information to the department within a reasonable period after return.  Attends all relevant local continuing education events.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

QUALIFYING STATEMENT

The above duties and responsibilities are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees assigned to this job.  They are not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated it.  To fully perform this job successfully, an individual must meet the minimum qualifications, meet the accompanying physical demands, and be able to work in the described environment.  However, reasonable accommodations will be made to hire and/or retain individuals who are qualified under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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