Infection Preventionist, Senior, or Associate - Healthcare Epidemiology
University of Texas Medical Branch
- Galveston, TX
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Bachelor's degree nursing, medical technology or related field.
- No experience required.
- Assists IPs in evaluating the risks to patients and employees after exposure to infectious diseases and initiates work-up if necessary.
- Communicates with hospital staff about infection control problems and can facilitate application of policies and procedures to unique situations.
- Participates in environmental rounds and monitors compliance with established policies and procedures.
- Completes NSHN surveillance, enters data into the database, produces reports and can interpret results.
- Reviews microbiology reports and identifies unusual species of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance patterns that would require isolation or follow-up per policy.
- Completes daily isolation rounds and documents findings.
- Adheres to internal policies established for the department.
- Evaluates risks to patients and employees after exposure to infectious diseases and initiates work-up if necessary.
- Conducts a class on a specific infectious disease or control method.
- Communicates with hospital staff about infection control problems and can facilitate application of policies and procedures to unique situations.
- Participates in environmental rounds and monitors compliance with established policies and procedures.
- Completes NSHN surveillance, enters data into the database, produces reports and can interpret results.
- Reviews microbiology reports and identifies unusual species of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance patterns.
- Reads journals and shares information with other IP’s and with other healthcare workers.
- Completes daily isolation rounds and documents findings.
- Adheres to internal policies established for the department.
- Bachelor's degree in nursing, medical technology or related field.
- Two (2) years of related experience in addition to four (4) years of infection control experience.
- Certification in Infection Control (by Certification Board of Infection Control).
- Collects and analyzes data that may include, but is not limited to incidence and trends of healthcare-associated infections, incidence and trends for epidemiologically significant organisms and antimicrobial usage.
- Implements isolation precautions as indicated.
- Identifies and investigates exposures to patients or personnel and collaborates with Employee Health to assure post-exposure management of personnel.
- Identifies practices that do not conform to infection prevention policies, guidelines, regulations or standards and apprises appropriate manager(s) of corrections needed.
- Assesses environment in patient care and/or patient care support environments to identify and address infection prevention concerns.
- Utilizes electronic surveillance system and submits data to HNSN or public health agency as required.
- Provides actionable data to clinicians and other stakeholders.
- Collaborates with stakeholders to prevent healthcare-associated or occupationally acquired infections and to assure compliance with policies, standards, and guidelines.
- Utilizes innovative teaching methods to educate all levels of personnel on infection prevention methods.
- Orients new personnel in Healthcare Epidemiology Department.
- Consults with personnel to provide guidance on infection prevention methods.
- Covers on-call pager as needed.
- Manages assigned project to eliminate healthcare-associated infections, improve compliance with infection prevention policies/standards/regulations, to prevent occupationally acquired infections, or to support improvements in antimicrobial stewardships. This may involve at least one patient care division and may include the healthcare system.