Infection Preventionist I

SHIFT:

Seeking Breakthrough Makers

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation.

At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care-and your career.

CHOP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or any other legally protected categories in any employment, training, or vendor decisions or programs. CHOP recognizes the critical importance of a workforce rich in varied backgrounds and experiences and engages in ongoing efforts to achieve that through equally varied and non-discriminatory means.

A Brief Overview
This role is responsible for infection prevention and control components including conducting surveillance, assisting with investigations of outbreaks, education of healthcare providers and consultation with healthcare providers and other professionals.

This position will have a primary focus on infection prevention and control surveillance of hospital acquired infections to include chart review, data abstraction and data collection and application of the National Health and Safety Network (NHSN) definitions. In addition, knowledge and skills of other infection prevention and control practices will be developed, such as education program design, policy and procedure review, construction, high level disinfection and sterilization and participation in quality performance improvement activities to promote patient safety.

What you will do

• 1. Conducts infection control surveillance and program activities. (40%)
• Reviews daily microbiology and virology reports for culture results that may represent healthcare acquired infections (HAI)
• Reviews patient charts for evidence of HAIs and applies NHSN definitions to identify and report HAIs through the use of an electronic surveillance system
• Documents appropriate information in patient electronic record
• Assists with investigations of clusters of infections, outbreaks, unusual infections or exposures as these events arise and participates in epidemiologic studies as needed
• Reviews construction plans and designs and completes ICRAs as needed
• Reports "reportable diseases" to the appropriate public health departments and responds to public health department inquiries as needed
• 2. Perform HAI prevention activities. (20%)
• Collaborates with all disciplines of healthcare professionals to drive performance improvement and impact quality and patient safety
• Participates in apparent cause analysis to identify modifiable risk factors and other infection prevention opportunities
• Serves as a member of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee
• Conducts weekly environmental rounding as assigned
• 3. Education and consultation with healthcare providers (HCPs). (25%)
• Consults with HCPs to answer infection prevention and control questions or concerns from staff, patients, and/or families
• Develops and conducts mandatory education as well as new employee orientation sessions, in-services and other educational sessions
• Advises staff on appropriate isolation practices and use of personal protective equipment
• 4. Maintains compliance with regulatory requirements (15%)
• Assists with the review of infection prevention and control policies and procedures
• Assists with risk assessments to identify gaps in infection prevention and control and areas of priority
• Participates in Joint Commission, Department of Health and other regulatory readiness
• 5.Other duties as assigned
• Periodic responsibility for responding to urgent infection prevention questions after hours or on weekends. 24/7 on call expectation is to provide phone support for urgent issues on a rotational basis with other members of the IPC team

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in nursing, public health, biology or other scientifically / healthcare related field Required
• Master's Degree in nursing, public health, biology or other scientifically / healthcare related field Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• At least three (3) years of infection prevention / control or healthcare related experience Required
• At least five (5) years of infection prevention / control experience
  Preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Intermediate proficiency in data collection, data management and reporting
• Intermediate proficiency with office software (Microsoft) including word processing, spreadsheet and visual planning software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
• Fundamental knowledge of surveillance and epidemiological data
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong time management skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Solid critical thinking / problem-solving skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to change
• Ability to gather, analyze and make recommendations/decisions based on data
• Ability to convey complex or technical information in an easy-to-understand manner

Licenses and Certifications

• Certification in Infection Control (CIC) - Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology - within 24 months - Required
• Licensed Pharmacist (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania State Licensing Board - upon hire - Preferred
• Medical Technologist (MT) - American Society Clinical Pathologists - upon hire - Preferred
• Registered Nurse (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania State Licensing Board - upon hire - Preferred

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must receive an annual influenza vaccine. Learn more.

EEO / VEVRAA Federal Contractor | Tobacco Statement

SALARY RANGE:

Salary ranges are shown for full-time jobs. If you're working part-time, your pay will be adjusted accordingly.

-------------------

At CHOP, we are committed to fair and transparent pay practices. Factors such as skills and experience could result in an offer above the salary range noted in this job posting. Click here for more information regarding CHOP's Compensation and Benefits.