RN - Infection Control & Education

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer, the Infection Control/ Education Registered Nurse applies hospital epidemiology principles and is responsible for the surveillance, analysis, interpretation and reporting of hospital acquired infections (HAI); educating employees about infection prevention; and the development of policies and procedures to insure rigorous infection control standards that meet TJC, OSHA, Centers for Medicaid/Medicare Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other nationally organized agencies recommendations and requirements. Directs all functions of the Employee Health Program. Provides and coordinates staff education including general orientation, annual skills updates, and in-service education. Incorporates Infection Control data for Performance Improvement and Risk Management Bench Marking Analysis.

Education / Licensure

Candidate will possess a minimum of an accredited and approved associates of nursing degree with preference given to those with two ( ) years of behavioral health experience. Strategic Behavioral Health encourages all registered nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing or in the behavioral health sciences OR meet requirements for national certification as a psychiatric/ mental health nurse within three years of employment.

Candidate will possess a valid current registered nursing license from the State Board of Nursing or from a nurse compact state, where applicable.

Skills

1) Comprehensive understanding of the approved scope of nursing practice for advanced practice, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, nursing assistants and non-licensed nursing personnel; 2) Application of nursing standards and practice within an acute psychiatric setting; 3) Ability to apply cultural sensitivity and age specific competency to nursing practice; 4) Thorough knowledge of TJC, OSHA, and state and federal regulatory requirements; 5) Participation and membership in an approved Infection Control affiliation, with current and ongoing continuing education credits in Infection Control; 6) Effectively respond and actively participate in a psychiatric crisis to resolution; 7) Prepares documentation that reflects a professional nursing perspective and 8) Coordinate care within a multidisciplinary team framework.

Additional Requirements

Timely renew and maintain an active registered nursing license, cardiopulmonary resuscitation for healthcare professional’s certification, professional skills verification and psychiatric crisis management certification.

AGES and POPULATIONS SERVED

Strategic Behavioral Health provides access and services to all persons meeting admission and continuing stay criteria without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, national origin, military status, veteran status, medical status, handicap or mental/physical disability. Our patient population reflects the fullest diversity of the community in which we serve. All staff are to conduct themselves with respect and consideration for others, and to appropriately intervene in situations below this standard.

Child (age 1 – 12 years): [ x ] YES [ ] NO Verified 00/00/00

Adolescent (age 13 – 17 years) : [ x ] YES [ ] NO Verified 00/00/00

Adult (age 18 – 64 years): [ x ] YES [ ] NO Verified 00/00/00

Geriatric (age 65 years ): [ x ] YES [ ] NO Verified 00/00/00

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Surveillance

• Apply epidemiologic principles and statistical methods, including risk stratification, to a psychiatric population, analyzing trends and risk factors, along with designing prevention and control strategies.
• Conduct on-going surveillance using Center of Disease Control (CDC) infection criteria, documentation, and investigation of nosocomial infections through review of admission diagnoses, microbiology culture results, physician’s orders, patient records, consultation requests and post-discharge follow-up.
• Conducts environmental rounds in all inpatient and outpatient care areas.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the surveillance plan and recommends modification, as necessary.
• Report all in-house patients with communicable disease to the county and/or state health department and maintain appropriate records. Compile and interpret surveillance reports to Infection Control committee, specialty areas, and executive medical committee on a regular basis.

Data

• Collects data in problem or suspected areas to determine the source and makes appropriate recommendations to care providers.
• Is proficient in use of computer software and electronic monitoring systems in data collection and for reporting purposed.

Performance Improvement

• Participate in quality/performance improvement activities by assessing, monitoring, and measuring nosocomial infections and evaluating outcomes on a continuous basis.
• Select indicators based on the projected use of the data. Plan and participate in the budget process.

Education

• Plan, organize, develop and implement educational programs for all hospital employees including administrative and ancillary services which convey specialized knowledge and skills to increase employee awareness of existence of nosocomial infections; techniques for avoidance and preventive measures to provide a safe environment for hospital employees and patients.
• Plan, organize, develop, and implement educational programs for all hospital employees on Orientation materials, Ongoing educational needs, and annual competencies in collaboration with Human Resources.

Exposure

• Develop appropriate informational materials at appropriate level of understanding and need.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and available resource on infection control practices and policies to patients, families, medical/nursing personnel, and other ancillary staff.

Regulatory

• Maintain compliance with national standards and regulating bodies such as TJC, CDC, OSHA, FDA, and HCFA.

Customer Service

• In-person and telephone communication is consistently attentive, responsive and reflects “helpfulness”.
• Professional awareness and boundaries are observed. Unnecessary self-disclosure is minimized.
• Telephones are answered by the third ring whenever possible and a professional greeting. Dedicated extensions/mobile phones with voice mail have a personalized greeting, and messages retrieved/responded to in a timely manner.
• Critical customer encounters are met with advanced customer service skills and resolved.

Nursing Services

• Consults, follows, and documents with sufficient detail nursing care according to facility policy and procedures. When policies do not comprehensively cover the nursing/administrative practice, initiates supervision with nursing’s chain of command, medical staff and/or administrator-on-call if afterhours.
• Effectively communicates with the medical staff, receives verbal/written orders, and takes care to minimize abbreviation or other errors.

• 
  Train Registered Nurses and Nursing Staff in the Following:
  • Conducts a comprehensive nursing assessment on all patients admitted within eight (8) hours. Corresponding documentation reflects the medical and emotional status, admitting orders and the initial care plan.
  • Identifies indicators for reassessment of the patient’s conditions, reaction/responsiveness, and involvement of other disciplines.
  • Administers medications, observes compliance/safe administration, consults pharmacy when indicated and records effectiveness or reactions to psychotropic and other medications.
  • Safely and accurately performs vital signs, electrocardiograms, phlebotomy/labs, and diabetic/glucose monitoring. Interprets results and takes appropriate nursing action.
  • Provides patient education and verifies understanding.
  • Arranges for additional consultations and test, and proactively coordinate transportation when needed.
  • Monitors the work of assigned licensed and non-licensed personnel. When indicated initiates a refresher or recertifies competency in nursing processes.
  • Apply epidemiologic principles and statistical methods, including risk stratification, to a psychiatric population, analyzing trends and risk factors, along with designing prevention and control strategies.

Infection Control

• Conduct on-going surveillance using Center of Disease Control (CDC) infection criteria, documentation, and investigation of nosocomial infections through review of admission diagnoses, microbiology culture results, physician’s orders, patient records, consultation requests and post-discharge follow-up.
• Conducts environmental rounds in all inpatient and outpatient care areas.
• Report all in-house patients with communicable disease to the county and/or state health department and maintain appropriate records. Compile and interpret surveillance reports to Infection Control committee, specialty areas, and executive medical committee on a regular basis.
• Collects data in problem or suspected areas to determine the source and makes appropriate recommendations to care providers.
• Participate in quality/performance improvement activities by assessing, monitoring, and measuring nosocomial infections and evaluating outcomes on a continuous basis.
• Plan, organize, develop and implement educational programs for all hospital employees including administrative and ancillary services which convey specialized knowledge and skills to increase employee awareness of existence of nosocomial infections; techniques for avoidance and preventive measures to provide a safe environment for hospital employees and patients.
• Maintain compliance with national standards and regulating bodies such as TJC, CDC, OSHA, FDA, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services–CMS.
• Implements an effective facility wide infection control program in keeping with Centers for Disease Control, TJC, and other state and federal regulatory agencies.

Leadership

• Continuously self regulates professional presentation especially during emotional charged situations.
• Presents informed and available to medical staff during patient rounds or telephonic consultations.
• Partners with others to ensure cohesive teamwork and healthy communication.
• Considers situations that may produce divisiveness or be received as diminishing others role or authority.
• Considers the employees demonstrated strengths and skill set in making patient care assignments.

Therapeutic Milieu

• Begins shift by receiving report, knowing scheduled activities, and assessing assigned patient’s condition.
• High visibility during increased acuity and takes an active role with indicated interventions.
• Notices the work and reaction of coworkers and offers to relieve for breaks or model effective interventions.
• Records patient observation during indicated timeframe i.e., after-the-fact documentation is not an approved practice.

Medical Records and Confidential Communication

• Appropriately considers the sensitivity and confidentiality of medical/psychiatric information along with the need-to-know before sharing information with others.
• Medical records entries are legible, errors minimized, timely completed, and include signature with professional designation. Users of computer aided records should not share passwords and signoff to reduce unauthorized utilization.
• Medical records of deficiencies are minimized, and when identified, corrected as soon as practical.

DEMANDS / WORK ENVIRONMENT

Environment: Located in an indoor climate-controlled environment with constant exposure to patients with a psychiatric diagnosis along with medical complications. Patient acuity will at times increase environmental stressors and sound volume.

Sight: Vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Hearing: Must be able to hear and respond to others in person, by telephone, alarms and to medical equipment/devices.

OSHA Category 1: Task occasionally may involve exposure to blood, body fluids, tissue, and other potentially infectious materials. The use of universal precautions, personal protective equipment, regular hand washing, and following manufacturing guidelines can greatly reduce exposure risk.

Physical: This position requires regular sitting, stooping, standing, walking, and lifting/reaching/carrying materials up to 35 lbs. Psychiatric emergencies require the use of safe physical techniques to lift and/or move patients in excess of 100 lbs. Some patient care settings may have patients requiring assistance in repositioning and transferring from bed to chair.