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Registered Nurse (RN) –Infection Prevention and Control
M-F 8-5
Risks are inherent in most everything we do in healthcare, so providing a safe environment with reduced risks, for our patients and our healthcare workers is the reason we in the IP&C Department at UMC do what we do every day. The department encompasses not only Infection Prevention, but Employee Health and Skin Care Services.
The professionals who work in these areas are consistently monitoring patients and environments for conditions that promote the transmission and acquisition of communicable diseases and hospital-acquired infections and pressure injuries. To accomplish these duties, each of these professionals utilizes a very specific knowledge-base and skill set. Frequently utilized skills, in addition to critical thinking ability, includes data abstraction, aggregation and analysis; bloodborne pathogen exposure management and the ability to prescribe and apply methodologies to prevent pressure injury acquisition.
While the safety and well-being of our patients and staff is our number one priority, there is also, unfortunately, an all “too real” financial component to our “why”. Hospitals lose valuable reimbursement dollars when they are found to have excessive numbers of certain hospital-acquired conditions, such as CLABSIs (central line-associated bloodstream infections), CAUTIs (catheter-associated urinary tract infections) and pressure injuries. When UMC loses these dollars, it prevents us from carrying out our mission…to provide safe, high quality care to all.
The Infection Preventionist (IP) possesses and maintains knowledge of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance methods in order to routinely identify, investigate, analyze and interpret findings related to HAIs among patients and healthcare personnel. Maintains working knowledge of various databases (NHSN, MedMined, Excel, etc.) utilized to record HAI findings, as well as knowledge required to run reports from these databases and interpret and discuss/present findings to various groups and committees. Must be able to provide and communicate evidence-based recommendations to support and enhance department, unit and facility-level corrective action plans related to HAI prevention and reduction
Qualifications:
-Graduation from an accredited School of Nursing
-Valid Texas RN License/Eligible Compact License
- Must maintain a current BLS & ACLS certification from American Heart
Association
-BSN required
-5 Years of clinical experience in an acute hospital setting required
-CIC certification preferred
-Previous hospital infection prevention preferred
-Leadership experience preferred
UMC Health System provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
*Request for accommodations in the hire process should be directed to UMC Human Resources.*