Infection Preventionist

The Infection Preventionist supports advancement of the infection prevention strategy through investigation into patterns and causes of infection and implementation of plans to prevent and control the spread of infectious agents. This position collaborates with diverse teams and individuals throughout the healthcare environment to support improved outcomes and promote compliance with internal and external infection prevention regulations requirements standards and guidelines.

Why UnityPoint Health

Commitment to our Team Were proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Beckers Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.

Culture At UnityPoint Health you matter. Come for a fulfilling career and experience a culture guided by uncompromising values and an unwavering belief in doing whats right for the people we serve.

Benefits Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities no matter what life stage youre in.

• Caring is what we do and it starts with our team members: expect paid time off parental leave 401K matching and an employee recognition program as we support you both personally and professionally.
• You can only give your best when you feel your best and we help you live well with dental and health insurance paid holidays short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members to give you peace of mind.
• We strive to make things easier and more personal in health care to set us apart from the rest and you can experience that commitment through early access to earned wages with Daily Pay a tuition reimbursement program designed to help you further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family in the way that works for you.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commitment At UnityPoint Health we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together. Our collective goal is to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected.

Development We believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is an essential part of delivering a remarkable employment experience.

Community Involvement Be an essential part of our core purposeto improve the health of the people and communities we serve.

Hear more from our team members about why UnityPoint Health is a great place to work at

Key Accountability

Implementation of Infection Prevention Strategy

• Develops implements and evaluates infection prevention plan according to system-wide strategy and risk assessment.
• Supports system-wide policy and procedure implementation and compliance monitoring.
• Supports infection prevention teams and uses current standards guidelines and evidence-based practice to implement improvement activities designed to prevent healthcare-associated infections.
• Regularly interacts communicates and collaborates with other healthcare workers and multidisciplinary groups regarding improvement efforts.
• Performs surveillance and reporting for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) utilizing the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definitions and in accordance with state and/or federal requirements and UPH infection prevention strategies and priorities as outlined by market and system prevention plans.
• Facilitates healthcare associated infection (HAI) event investigation.
• Assesses performance of infection prevention process measures and interprets data related to infection prevention outcome measures.
• Performs observations to assess compliance with infection prevention-related regulatory requirements.
• Performs formal education just-in-time education and coaching at the elbow.
• Performs outbreak investigations.
• Assists with internal and external reporting of information and data.
• Utilizes data to make recommendations for action.

Key Accountability

Infection Prevention Professional and Practice Standards

• Pursues education and experience in infection prevention competencies.
• Pursues and subsequently maintains Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology Inc. (CBIC)
• Assumes responsibility for the development evaluation and improvement of ones own practice to maintain the required skills and knowledge.

Minimum Requirements

Identify items that are minimally required to perform the essential functions of this position.

Preferred or Specialized

Not required to perform the essential functions of the position.

Education:

Bachelors degree in health science healthcare delivery public health laboratory science or related field

Masters degree in in health science healthcare delivery public health laboratory science or related field

Experience:

Experience in healthcare public health laboratory or related field

Experience in infection prevention and control

License(s)/Certification(s):

Associate Infection Prevention and Control (a-IPC) Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) or Long-term Care Certification in Infection Prevention (LTC-CIP) through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology Inc. (CBIC)

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Analytical skills

Strong problem-solving skills

Ability to collaborate

Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Ability to work with and maintain the confidentiality of data and information

Self-management prioritization and organizational skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Ability to implement evidence-based guidelines

Conflict management and negotiation skills

Application of program and project management skills

Data collection and analysis report writing and data presentation skills

Ability to use and leverage a variety of computer programs software applications and information and diagnostic technologies

Understands role of consultant to provide resources and support

Other:

Depending on level of experience individuals will undergo epidemiology and/or infection prevention training.

Use of usual and customary equipment used to perform essential functions of the position.