Infection Preventionist - Hackensack Meridian Health

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

Supports organization-wide infection surveillance, prevention and control program in accordance with current requirements of regulatory, government and accrediting/licensing agencies and organizational policies and procedures. Duties include surveillance for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs); collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting of surveillance data; implementing organizational performance improvement initiatives outbreak investigation; educating Team Members (TMs) and patients, and annual evaluation of the Infection Prevention program.

A day in the life of a Infection Preventionist at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Program Support:
  • In collaboration with the Infection Prevention leadership develops, implements, and evaluates the organizational infection prevention program.
  • Conducts surveillance of hospital acquired infections in accordance with CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions.
  • Records and reports communicable diseases as defined by federal, state, and local levels.
  • In collaboration with the Infection Prevention leadership develops annual surveillance plan and risk assessment(s) based on population(s) served, services provided, and analysis of surveillance data.
  • Utilizes epidemiologic principles to conduct surveillance plan as necessary, investigate and implement control measure for outbreaks.
  • Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of infection prevention policies and procedures.
  • Communicates infection prevention information and data to various committees, leadership, departments and healthcare workers across the organization as assigned.
  • Review sterilization and disinfection policies and procedures, identifies necessary changes and monitors compliance. Assists in the development of Infection Prevention and Control Construction Risk Assessments (ICRAs) for construction, renovation and maintenance projects and monitors compliance with infection prevention recommendations to reduce risk of communicable disease exposures to patients and TMs.
  • Rounds on units/departments to observe compliance with infection prevention policies/procedures and provide just in time coaching (e.g. Disinfection processes, hand hygiene and PPE)
  • Participates on environment of care rounds as assigned
  • Participates in network or hospital-based committees providing infection prevention and control expertise as assigned by Infection Prevention leadership.
  • May be required to work or be on call weekends and/or second shift based on department needs.
• Design and Deliver Education
  • Develops and conducts formal and informal educational programs regarding infection prevention and control practices, policies, and procedures
  • Assess and address learning needs of those served.
  • Create education goals, objectives, and strategies using learning principles and available educational tools and technology.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and learner outcomes.
• Regulatory Requirements
  • Complies with regulatory and mandatory reporting requirements at the local, state and federal levels.
  • Facilitates compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards (e.g. NHSN, Joint Commission, etc.)
  • Stay current on infection prevention regulatory and accreditation standards.
• Performance Improvement (PI)/Patient Safety
  • Utilize PI methodology as a means of enacting change.
  • Selects appropriate PI tools to aid in efficiency, reliability, effectiveness and ensure sustainability of the initiative.
  • Ensure that customer needs and expectations are considered in the development of and continuous improvement of processes, products, and services.
  • Monitor and analyze process and outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability.
  • Perform Root Cause Analysis/Apparent Cause Analysis on HAIs.
  • Participate in PI committees, teams and initiatives as indicated.
  • Apply High Reliability principles to guide strategies to drive process improvement to improve outcomes.
• Occupational Health
  • Assesses risk of occupational exposures to infectious disease and develops mitigation strategies to minimize exposure risk.
  • Assists with rates/trends of occupational exposure if indicated.
  • Collaborates with Occupational Health to identify and investigate potential communicable disease exposures, and provides guidance on evaluation, management of exposed TMs and any potential work restrictions.
• Collaboration
  • Collaborates with all departments within the organization as needed.
  • Consults and collaborates, as needed, with local, state, and federal public health officials, and community health organizations.
  • Involves multidisciplinary teams to ensure changes are vetted by all stakeholder groups.
  •  Contributes in Network meetings/projects.
• Utilizes principles of influence, leadership, and change management.
  • Brings enthusiasm, creativity and innovation to practice.
  • Works collaboratively with others, providing direction when necessary.
  • Readily shares knowledge and expertise.
  • Contributes to the development of less-experience healthcare providers through education and mentorship.
  • Prepares and delivers infection prevention presentations to external groups. Research and
• Implementation Science
  • Evaluates (critically) research and evidence-based practices and incorporate appropriate findings into routine practice.
  • Integrates evidence-based practices into policies, guidelines, protocols and educational strategies.
  • Identifies barriers for implementation and develops strategies to minimize or remove barriers.
  • Implements strategies to sustain efforts such as audit tools and meaningful feedback.
• IPC Informatics
  • Be familiar with infection prevention software and other technology (e.g. EPIC, NHSN, CDRSS)
  • Collaborates with IT and Data Science to create meaningful electronic reports to enhance infection prevention initiatives.
• Professional Accountability
  • Pursues professional growth and development of required knowledge and skills.
  • Maintains certification and licensure requirements if indicated.
  • Establishes at least 1 professional goal per year.
  • Advocates for patient safety, high reliability practices, team member safety, and safe practices.
  • Participates in an infection prevention professional organization/association (e.g. APIC).

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• B.S. Degree in Nursing, Microbiology, Public Health, Medical Technology, Health Care Administration or related field.
• 2 years of experience in clinical/patient care services or relevant health care position.
• Familiar with software technologies (e.g. Excel, MS Word, NHSN, etc)
• Analytical
• Problem solving
• Collaboration
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to implement evidence-based guidelines
• Conflict resolution
• Program and project management
• Expertise in data collection and analysis, report writing, and data presentation

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• CIC certification from the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology; if not CIC certified the infection preventionist shall be certified in infection control within 5 years of beginning practice of infection control and shall maintain certification through the Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC) as per NJ DOH licensing standards.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• Certified in Infection Control.

If you feel that the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!