Job Summary and ResponsibilitiesAs our Infection Preventionist, you will be responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating effective infection prevention and control programs across the organization.
Every day you will conduct surveillance for healthcare-associated infections, analyze data to identify trends, and design evidence-based interventions to prevent their spread. This includes educating staff, consulting on infectious disease issues, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and best practices.
To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate expert knowledge of infectious diseases, epidemiology, and public health principles, coupled with strong analytical skills and excellent communication abilities to influence positive changes in clinical practice and safeguard patient and staff well-being.
- Responsible for assisting the department to ensure compliance with Hospital Accreditation Standards, State and CMS regulations, and for the daily operations of the Infection Prevention Department. Identifies and implements updates to the Infection Prevention Program when new regulations and/or professional guidelines are published. Serves as the content expert in all infection prevention matters in support of clinical staff, performance improvement teams and hospital committees.
- Performs assessments from an infection prevention perspective and recommends appropriate action within scope of responsibility to ensure safe and quality patient care. Performs, coordinates and directs the process of surveillance to identify healthcare acquired infections and other adverse outcomes to ensure safe patient care. Rounds in assigned inpatient units, outpatient areas, perioperative areas, and ancillary departments regularly and on an as needed basis for evaluating compliance with infection prevention practices, policies and regulatory agency requirements.
- Assists the department leader with ongoing assessment and development of programs, policies and procedures, and forms to address the Infection Prevention needs of employees, volunteers, contract workers, independent contractors, physicians, registry workers, and students in accordance with the guidelines established by the regulatory agencies.
- Oversees and monitors the clinical work of staff. Identifies competency and training needs. Coordinates and oversees training. Utilizes senior area staff to assist with training and provides clinical expertise.
- Acquires and maintains current knowledge of infection prevention professional society guidelines, best practices and regulatory requirements as demonstrated by attending infection prevention conferences and workshops, reviewing current infection prevention literature, guidelines and national standard and networking with Health System and external Infection Prevention Specialists.
- *Reporting Structure may differ in Critical Access Hospitals
Job RequirementsRequired- Bachelors Other with a focus on epidemiology or
- Associates in a healthcare-related field and three (3) years of healthcare-related experience
- Certified in Infection Control, within 24 - months
- Registered Nurse: CA RN License
Where You'll WorkFounded in 1940, Dignity Health - Marian Regional Medical Center is a 191-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Santa Maria, California. Serving over 250,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, cancer care, orthopedics, and stroke care. Additionally, Marian Regional Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and the only healthcare facility on the Central Coast to offer ECMO.
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