Children's National Hospital
Infection Control Assistant (RN) - Epidemiology - DC
Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022
The Infection Control Nurse will assist in prevention of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) through surveillance, collection, analysis, and reporting of infections. Will use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement and evaluate infection prevention processes across the organization. Will serve as liaison between clinical nursing and Infection Control office. Will use clinical knowledge of infection related matters to provide staff and patient/family consultation and training. Will also monitor compliance with infection control standards and regulations to ensure organizational compliance.
Qualifications:Minimum EducationBSN Graduated from an approved school of nursing. (Required)Master's Degree (Preferred)
Minimum Work Experience2 years Clinical nursing experience. At least 1 year of pediatrics, critical care or emergency nursing experience preferred. (Required)
Required Skills/KnowledgeCurrent nursing knowledge; ability to develop and implement effective infection control and emergency response programs.Familiar with software such as Window's environment (Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access).Excellent oral and written communication skills.Basic knowledge of statistics and epidemiologic methods is beneficial.
Required Licenses and CertificationsRegistered Nurse in District of Columbia (Required)
Functional AccountabilitiesProfessional PracticeEstablish and maintain positive collaboration with all levels of staff across the organization.Participate actively in assigned committees and internal and external meetings.Ensure own professional development through ongoing educationMaintain required licensure and certification.Surveillance - Case Identification, Reporting, and Response
Conduct targeted surveillance defined by the Infection Control Committee to identify, investigate and manage suspected and confirmed infections.Notify internal stakeholders and external authorities as appropriate of reportable diseases and assists with follow-up.Report and promptly respond to unusual disease patterns identified.Conduct clinical rounds on routine basis to assess adherence with infection control practices.Identify and promptly triage cases of epidemiologically significant infections.Partner to develop and implement strategies to contain significant pathogens.Prevention and Control
Apply evidence-based practice guidelines and implement effective infection prevention strategies.Identify prevention opportunities and collaborate with appropriate staff to plan, implement and evaluate prevention and control efforts.Monitor compliance with established policies and regulatory requirements in assigned areas of responsibility and ensure staff are fully informed on expectations to ensure adherence.Outbreak Detection and Management & Biological Emergency Preparedness and Response
Responsible for early identification of unusual disease pattern, cluster and outbreak; promptly respond to outbreak once identified.Responsible to institute prevention measures for rapid remediation of outbreak in assigned areas.Develop protocol and plan and respond to agent-specific biological emergency situations.Plan and lead readiness drills.Assess and evaluate emergency needs to ensure adequate supplies are on hand for response.Serve as liaison between Nursing and Infection Control to ensure delivery of safe patient care when special isolation unit is in operation.Education
Develop system-wide training and education modules related to infection prevention and best practices.Train hospital staff on infection prevention and control policies and practices.Ensure infection control databases are maintained in a timely fashion.Organizational AccountabilitiesOrganizational Accountabilities (Staff)Organizational Commitment/Identification
Anticipate and responds to customer needs; follows up until needs are metTeamwork/Communication
Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behaviorPartner with all team members to achieve goalsReceptive to others' ideas and opinionsPerformance Improvement/Problem-solving
Contribute to a positive work environmentDemonstrate flexibility and willingness to changeIdentify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processesMake appropriate decisions, using sound judgmentCost Management/Financial Responsibility
Use resources efficientlySearch for less costly ways of doing thingsSafety
Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performanceContinuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentationStop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situationDemonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communicationActively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workersAttend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance
Qualifications:Minimum EducationBSN Graduated from an approved school of nursing. (Required)Master's Degree (Preferred)
Minimum Work Experience2 years Clinical nursing experience. At least 1 year of pediatrics, critical care or emergency nursing experience preferred. (Required)
Required Skills/KnowledgeCurrent nursing knowledge; ability to develop and implement effective infection control and emergency response programs.Familiar with software such as Window's environment (Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access).Excellent oral and written communication skills.Basic knowledge of statistics and epidemiologic methods is beneficial.
Required Licenses and CertificationsRegistered Nurse in District of Columbia (Required)
Functional AccountabilitiesProfessional PracticeEstablish and maintain positive collaboration with all levels of staff across the organization.Participate actively in assigned committees and internal and external meetings.Ensure own professional development through ongoing educationMaintain required licensure and certification.Surveillance - Case Identification, Reporting, and Response
Conduct targeted surveillance defined by the Infection Control Committee to identify, investigate and manage suspected and confirmed infections.Notify internal stakeholders and external authorities as appropriate of reportable diseases and assists with follow-up.Report and promptly respond to unusual disease patterns identified.Conduct clinical rounds on routine basis to assess adherence with infection control practices.Identify and promptly triage cases of epidemiologically significant infections.Partner to develop and implement strategies to contain significant pathogens.Prevention and Control
Apply evidence-based practice guidelines and implement effective infection prevention strategies.Identify prevention opportunities and collaborate with appropriate staff to plan, implement and evaluate prevention and control efforts.Monitor compliance with established policies and regulatory requirements in assigned areas of responsibility and ensure staff are fully informed on expectations to ensure adherence.Outbreak Detection and Management & Biological Emergency Preparedness and Response
Responsible for early identification of unusual disease pattern, cluster and outbreak; promptly respond to outbreak once identified.Responsible to institute prevention measures for rapid remediation of outbreak in assigned areas.Develop protocol and plan and respond to agent-specific biological emergency situations.Plan and lead readiness drills.Assess and evaluate emergency needs to ensure adequate supplies are on hand for response.Serve as liaison between Nursing and Infection Control to ensure delivery of safe patient care when special isolation unit is in operation.Education
Develop system-wide training and education modules related to infection prevention and best practices.Train hospital staff on infection prevention and control policies and practices.Ensure infection control databases are maintained in a timely fashion.Organizational AccountabilitiesOrganizational Accountabilities (Staff)Organizational Commitment/Identification
Anticipate and responds to customer needs; follows up until needs are metTeamwork/Communication
Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behaviorPartner with all team members to achieve goalsReceptive to others' ideas and opinionsPerformance Improvement/Problem-solving
Contribute to a positive work environmentDemonstrate flexibility and willingness to changeIdentify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processesMake appropriate decisions, using sound judgmentCost Management/Financial Responsibility
Use resources efficientlySearch for less costly ways of doing thingsSafety
Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performanceContinuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentationStop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situationDemonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communicationActively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workersAttend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance