Overview

The Infection Prevention Specialist supports the organization-wide Infection Prevention Program and works collaboratively with the Infection Preventionist, clinical leaders, providers, and staff to promote a safe environment for patients, visitors, and team members. This position performs infection surveillance, identifies and responds to infection prevention concerns, supports regulatory and reporting requirements, provides education, and serves as a resource for infection prevention and control practices across the organization.

Responsibilities

Infection Prevention Program & Strategic Initiatives

• Assist the Infection Preventionist/Coordinator with implementing annual and strategic Infection Prevention goals that support patient and staff safety.
• Conduct research, evaluate evidence-based practices, and make recommendations to support organizational infection prevention priorities.
• Assist with developing Infection Prevention teams and workgroups; actively participate in teams and lead or facilitate processes designed to achieve organizational goals.
• Collaborate closely with the Infection Preventionist/Coordinator to ensure effective communication, coordination, and achievement of department and organizational objectives.
• Assist with identifying infection prevention problems and developing appropriate corrective actions at the main campus and satellite locations.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives related to infection prevention and control.

Infection Surveillance & Outbreak Management

• Perform surveillance related to healthcare-associated infections, communicable diseases, and other infection prevention indicators.
• Identify trends, clusters, outbreaks, and other areas of concern and prepare, implement, and evaluate action plans as appropriate.
• Assist with investigation and management of suspected or confirmed outbreaks and communicable disease concerns.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret infection prevention data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Enter and maintain accurate data in applicable state, national, and organizational databases.
• Maintain appropriate infection prevention records and prepare reports for departments, committees, the Medical Director, leadership, and the Board as required.
• Assist with reporting designated communicable diseases and other required information to the Division of Public Health and other regulatory agencies.
• Obtain and provide pertinent patient information to public health officials and regulatory agencies as needed.

Infection Prevention Rounds & Regulatory Compliance

• Conduct infection prevention and control tracers to assess compliance with established standards, policies, and evidence-based practices.
• Participate in environment of care and infection prevention rounds throughout the organization, including satellite locations.
• Identify opportunities for improvement and collaborate with departments to develop and implement corrective actions.
• Attend applicable organizational, departmental, committee, and regulatory meetings and maintain an understanding of requirements and expectations related to infection prevention.
• Monitor changes in national standards, regulatory requirements, and evidence-based infection prevention practices.
• Assist with maintaining organizational compliance with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements.

Policies & Procedures

• Assist the Infection Preventionist/Coordinator with writing, reviewing, and revising infection prevention policies and procedures.
• Conduct research to ensure policies and procedures remain current and aligned with national standards, regulatory requirements, and evidence-based practices.
• Identify opportunities for policy and procedure improvement based on surveillance findings, regulatory changes, organizational needs, and emerging infection prevention trends.
• Update and maintain the electronic policy library as needed.
• Assist departments with interpretation and implementation of infection prevention policies and procedures.

Education & Training

• Assess the educational needs of staff, patients/clients, visitors, departments, and community partners related to infection prevention and control.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate appropriate educational tools and programs based on identified learning needs, organizational goals, surveillance data, and infection/communicable disease trends.
• Provide infection prevention education to employees, patients, and families as appropriate.
• Develop educational resources for external organizations, including schools, nursing homes, physician practices, and community agencies, to help reduce the spread of infection within their populations.
• Assist with orientation and ongoing education related to infection prevention practices, isolation precautions, communicable diseases, and other applicable topics.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of educational initiatives and modify materials or approaches as needed.

Consultation & Collaboration

• Serve as an internal consultant and resource regarding infection prevention and control practices.
• Provide consultation to clinical and non-clinical departments, physician practices, nursing homes, schools, community agencies, and other organizations regarding infection prevention concerns, questions, and education.
• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, clinical leaders, ancillary departments, Environmental Services, Quality, Employee Health, Occupational Health, and other stakeholders to address infection prevention concerns.
• Communicate effectively with patients and provide infection prevention education as appropriate.
• Promote a culture of infection prevention and safety through effective communication, collaboration, and relationship building.

On-Call & Flexible Scheduling

• Respond to infection prevention and control calls as needed during nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Provide consultation and assistance related to isolation precautions, infection prevention policies and procedures, communicable diseases, and other urgent infection prevention concerns.
• Maintain a flexible schedule to meet department and organizational needs.
• Flex work hours and provide additional coverage as needed when the Infection Preventionist/Coordinator is unavailable due to vacation, conferences, illness, or other absences.
• Participate in after-hours coverage and other department activities as assigned.

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality of patient, employee, and organizational information.
• Maintain current knowledge of infection prevention and control standards, emerging infectious diseases, regulatory requirements, and evidence-based practices.
• Participate in professional development activities to maintain and enhance infection prevention expertise.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Infection Prevention and Control Program.

Qualifications

• Current Infection Prevention experience with a minimum of two (2) years of related healthcare experience.
• Knowledge of CDC guidelines and NHSN infection surveillance criteria.
• Experience conducting medical record reviews, infection surveillance, data collection, and analysis.
• Ability to investigate outbreaks, identify trends, develop corrective actions, and lead Infection Prevention performance improvement initiatives.
• Strong organizational, analytical, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, flexible, and able to work independently while collaborating effectively with interdisciplinary teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and database management systems.
• Ability to provide coverage for the Infection Prevention Coordinator/Preventionist and respond to infection prevention concerns during nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Credentials

• Current RN license in Delaware or compact state
• CIC (Certification in Infection Control) preferred.

EntryUSD $79,144.00/Yr. MaxUSD $122,678.40/Yr.