JOB TITLE: INFECTION PREVENTIONIST REGISTERED NURSE

JOB CODE: 30423

DEFINITION: This is professional nursing work in the prevention and control of infectious diseases at a Commonwealth facility.

An employee in this job coordinates mandated Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP) activities to prevent, detect, and mitigate communicable diseases and infections within a Commonwealth facility. Work involves recommending and implementing policies, procedures, and processes for identifying, preventing, reporting, and controlling infectious diseases as well as for providing related nursing care; conducting outbreak investigations; and gathering and analyzing infection data to develop plans for the eradication of infectious diseases. Work also involves developing and conducting infection prevention and control education and training programs for facility staff, monitoring staff activities for compliance with IPCP requirements and initiating corrective actions, and advising facility staff on infection prevention and control requirements and best practices. Work may involve providing direct nursing care to individuals. Work may also involve supervising paraprofessional and non-professional nursing staff. Work is reviewed through reports, conferences, and overall effectiveness of the IPCP.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.)

• Develops risk reduction strategies and implements process improvement initiatives to prevent the onset and spread of infectious diseases at a long-term care facility.

• Collects, reviews, analyzes, and interprets clinical data to identify infection trends.

• Conducts outbreak investigations and studies infection trends to determine the sources of infection and creates mitigation plans to contain the spread of disease.

• Monitors the treatment and care of residents with infectious diseases and infected wounds based on data such as laboratory results and in collaboration with physicians and pharmacists.

• Identifies areas of deficiencies and develops plans to educate staff on proper infection control procedures and processes.

• Leads interdisciplinary teams in the identification and establishment of infection prevention goals and objectives for quality assurance and performance improvement.

• Develops and implements monitoring processes designed to identify infectious disease characteristics, such as occurrences, incubation periods, communicability, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms, and susceptibility.

• Reviews and interprets written or electronic medical records, physicians’ orders, pharmacy reports, and laboratory and diagnostic tests to identify infections, assess their cause, and monitor symptoms.

• Monitors the treatment and care of residents for adherence to IPCP requirements and communicates findings to nursing staff.

• Designs and implements processes to monitor for appropriate use of antibiotics, improve resident antibiotic success rates, and reduce antibiotic resistance.

• Establishes processes to treat infected individuals.

• Establishes protocols regarding the type and duration of isolation for individuals exposed to communicable diseases.

• Determines the circumstances under which the facility must prohibit employees with a communicable disease from having direct contact with residents.

• Implements policies and procedures for the care of employees and residents who have or may have been exposed to infectious diseases.

• Monitors the health status of employees and residents and ensures they receive appropriate medical tests in accordance with federal, state, and local infectious disease policies and guidelines.

• Creates procedures for documenting incidents and corrective actions taken and maintains a process for reporting incidents of infectious diseases to federal, state, and local agencies.

• Identifies training needs, and plans and conducts infection control education and training for staff, to include demonstrating work methods, techniques, and procedures.

• Collaborates with facility staff to ensure proper infection control policies and procedures are followed.

• Monitors infection control practices to ensure compliance with the requirements of regulatory entities.

• Performs the full range of supervisory duties.

• Employees in this job may participate in the performance of subordinates’ work consistent with operational or organizational requirements.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of the practices, methodologies, and techniques of professional nursing.

• Knowledge of the practices, methodologies, and techniques of infectious disease prevention and control.

• Knowledge of the techniques used to establish, monitor, and evaluate nursing care plans.

• Knowledge of disease processes and pathology and their signs and symptoms.

• Knowledge of therapeutic and adverse effects of pharmacological agents and medical treatments.

• Knowledge of infectious agent surveillance systems.

• Knowledge of the use and functionality of Microsoft Office Suite software.

• Ability to analyze and interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests.

• Ability to analyze and interpret written information.

• Ability to analyze and interpret numerical information.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally.

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities)

• Two years of professional nursing experience in a healthcare facility.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• All positions require possession of an Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Certificate of Mastery issued by the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care (NADONALTC), possession of an active Certified in Infection Control (CIC) certification as issued by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC), or possession of an active Long-Term Care Certification in Infection Prevention (LTC-CIP) certification as issued by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC).

• All positions require active authorization to practice as a Registered Nurse in Pennsylvania.

• All employees possessing an active temporary practice permit must obtain licensure as a Registered Nurse within the one (1) year period defined by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.