Infection Control Registered Nurse - Pittsburgh, United States - Vincentian

Description

Job Description

Summary:

The Infection Control Nurse oversees all resident care dealing with wounds and infection control in accordance with current federal, state and local standards, guidelines and regulations as directed by Nursing Management. Ensures the maintenance of a safe environment in accordance with nursing services standards, facility, policy and safety regulations. Provides innovative, responsible healthcare with the creation and implementation of current trends and concepts that continually improve systems and processes to achieve superior results.

It is the duty of all employees to promote and support a resident centered care environment that ensures the treatment of all residents, family members, visitors, fellow employees and customers with kindness, respect, and dignity.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

1. Commits to the Vincentian Collaborative System (VCS) mission to nurture and sustain a ministry of compassionate care that preserves the human dignity of persons within a diverse and changing society.

2. Upholds and promotes the VCS values of spirituality, compassion, quality, dignity, collaboration, advocacy and stewardship.

3. Promotes and supports a resident centered care environment that ensures the treatment of all residents, family members, visitors, fellow employees and customers with kindness, respect, and dignity.

IPCP Management

4. Serves as the IPCP subject matter expert and acts as a resource to residents, families, staff and visitors.

5. Maintain knowledge of current state and federal regulations and clinical standards of practice that are relevant to the IPCP.

6. Develop, implement, and evaluate the facility's IPCP and antibiotic stewardship program to include policies and procedures for surveillance, pandemic preparedness, hand hygiene, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, employee health, outbreak management, water management, antibiotic stewardship, and training.

7. Coordinate and collaborate with other department heads to conduct the IPCP procedures relevant to their department.

8. Conduct the annual community-based infection risk assessment, use the results to complete the Facility Assessment, and develop action plans to mitigate the risks.

9. Conduct an annual review of the IPCP and antibiotic stewardship program that considers: the facility characteristics, facility population, antibiotic stewardship data, and the results of the community-based infection risk assessment.

10. Update all relevant policies and procedures and develop an action plan to address annual IPCP needs.

11. Conduct routine environmental rounding to identify risks to the IPCP, e.g., laundry collection methods, disposal of waste, cleaning and disinfection of equipment, and maintenance of sanitary conditions.

12. Conduct outbreak investigations.

13. Report communicable diseases to local, state, or national agencies as required.

14. Manage the processes related to resident immunizations.

15. Provide or coordinate the required annual IPCP training for staff.

16. Assess educational and competency development needs routinely and provide training as needed to staff, residents, families, and vendors.

17. Conduct the IPCP and antibiotic stewardship program survey readiness activities.

18. Maintain IPCP records.

19. Collect and report data to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI)

20. Maintain the systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of surveillance (process and outcome) data, including NHSN data, to identify infections, infection risks, and communicable disease outbreaks and to maintain or improve resident health status.

21. Utilize data to identify opportunities for improvement and collaborate with the Quality Assessment and Assurance (QAA)/ Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Committee and others to develop action plans.

22. Maintain records of data collection, interpretation, and action plans.

23. Serve as a member of the QAA/ QAPI Committee and routinely report on IPCP and antibiotic stewardship program performance.

Occupational Health

24. Develop, implement, and evaluate the facility's IPCP occupational health policies and procedures.

25. Review the risk of bloodborne pathogens, OSHA regulations, and the exposure control plan to ensure implementation of best practices to decrease the likelihood of exposures to infectious diseases.

26. Coordinate with human resources to investigate, document, report, and manage treatment for needle-stick injuries.

27. Enforce protocols required by local, state, and federal agencies for occupational exposures.

28. Manage the processes related to staff immunizations.

29. Assist with employee screenings, e.g., tuberculosis, skin lesions, flu, COVID-19, and lice.

30. Enforce the facility's policies and procedures prohibiting staff with communicable diseases or infected skin lesions from direct contact with residents and their food.

Other

31. Performs Nursing Supervisor responsibilities as assigned.

32. Ensures the maintenance of a safe environment in accordance with Nursing Services standards, facility policy and safety regulations.

33. Performs all other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience:

1. Current Pennsylvania Registered Nurse licensure required.

2. Minimum of three years of progressive nursing experience in long term care

preferred.

3. Previous nursing supervisory or charge nurse experience preferred.

4. Ability to interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests

5. Collect and utilize IPCP data to formulate conclusions and develop action plans.

6. Identify occurrences, reservoirs, incubation periods, periods of communicability, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms, and susceptibility associated with the infectious disease process.

7. Interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests.

8. Differentiate between colonization and infection.

9. Differentiate between prophylactic, empiric, and therapeutic uses of antimicrobials.

10. Effectively teach IPCP information to audiences with different needs and educational levels.

11. Foster effective working relationships and build consensus.

12. Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

13. Maintain medical records and quality improvement-related documents.

14. Plan, organize, prioritize, work independently, and meet deadlines.

15. Use judgment and make sound decisions.

16. Work effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization.

Work Environment:

Employees of a long term care facility work in a resident care environment that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. Employees can be expected to be exposed to unpleasant odors and may encounter physically or verbally aggressive residents.

Working conditions include normal indoor temperatures. There may also be times when employees perform duties outdoors. Depending on the season, outdoor temperatures will vary.

Employees may come into contact with residents who have infectious diseases or to resident bodily fluids or blood. In addition, employees may come into contact with hazardous materials and facility equipment.