Infection Prevention Nurse - St. Paul's Senior Services

OVERVIEW:   The Infection Control Registered Nurse provides administrative, surveillance and consultative work in planning, developing, coordinating and administering an Infection Control Program at designated sites under a regional health authority. Work involves planning, organizing, implementing, evaluating the infection control program to ensure the program is carried out properly, effectively and efficiently throughout the region and educating stakeholders regarding infection control practices.

ESSENTIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides surveillance of healthcare or industry practices to identify problem areas and determines any necessary interventions; gathers related data (i.e. reviews lab reports and patient charts, communicates with facilities and units), inputs data into various report documents for analysis; provides education and training to program areas requiring changes; evaluates and reports on data.
• Reviews needs for education and training; develops, organizes, and delivers infection control education to staff, patients, and the community through either formal presentations or one on one counselling. Delivers formal presentations to staff during orientation or community group activities, and evaluates training requirements.
• Provides consultation and expertise to a variety of stakeholders on infection control practices based on an in-depth knowledge of infection control and best practice research.
• Investigates infection control outbreaks, conducts literature and internet research related to epidemiological studies and best practices; reviews and monitors statistical data, calculates infection rates, critically appraises significance of findings, and makes recommendations to address outcomes of outbreaks and/or changes in practice(s).
• Coordinates infection prevention and control (IP&C) activities; communicates with managers/administrators regarding suspicious outbreaks of infection; evaluates and provides advice and guidance.
• Participates and provides nursing services to immunization clinics including administering vaccinations and collecting data.
• Provides patients and their families with education literature and counselling on infection control topics.
• Attends and participates in department and committee meetings (i.e. regional waste management, regional infection control, etc.), and where applicable, provides input into policy and procedures.
• Evaluates the use of newly developed infection prevention technology or products for safety and cost-effectiveness; and meets with sales representatives or attends in-services on products (i.e. wound care, swab collection kits, etc.).
• Books rooms, equipment and vehicles, types and distributes letters/emails, and records minutes of regional and staff meetings.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Infection prevention and control regulations and guidelines.
• Sterilization/decontamination, microbiology and infectious processes
• Environmental health services best practices.
• Epidemiological principles, statistics, microbiology, and infectious diseases.
• Policies, procedures, standards of practice, and guidelines (i.e. regional, provincial, and national).
• Current knowledge of trends, and developments within nursing and specific program.
• Research and evidence based practice.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Completion of an Undergraduate Degree in Nursing from an approved college or university supplemented by an Infection Control Certification from the Canadian Hospital Infection Control Association (CHICA), and Registration with the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (ARRNL)
• BLS certification
• Completion of infection control course from CHICA Years of Experience:
  • Minimum: 3 - 4 years of experience
• Proficiency in the use of various computer software packages to analyze statistics and write reports
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team as well as independently

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Lifts or moves objects up to 10 lbs (i.e. supplies, posters, paper, equipment, laptop, information sheets, and projector). Occasionally, these objects are up to 25 lbs (i.e. boxes of resources, pamphlets, display boards, moving furniture to set up rooms), when attending meetings, staff education, or doing presentations.

• Required to sit at a computer to input data, develop reports, conduct research, read and send emails, and respond to correspondence where there is no restriction of movement or to sit to attend or facilitate meetings. Regularly stands to give presentations and walks to different areas of buildings for surveillance of infection practices and/or to teach infection control practices to staff. Occasionally drives between sites and buildings.

MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Visual alertness is required when performing skin testing or giving immunization injections, working on the computer for extended periods to review visual graphics (i.e. inputting and compiling numerical data for infection rates and statistics into databases), reading written text, reading and responding to emails, performing research on the internet, developing reports and communications related to infection control practices or services, analyzing information, and completing reports.
• Auditory concentration is required to listen and provide information to stakeholders (i.e. staff, patients, etc.) in person, on the telephone or conference calls, and to be able to provide appropriate feedback, and to give presentations and be able to answer questions.
• Other sensory demands include the sense of smell to detect certain infectious diseases (i.e. wound infection), and touch is required to palpate skin when reading a Tuberculosis (TB)Test.
• Repetitive tasks which require alertness occurs when administering multiple immunization and H161 Classification and Compensation Division Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 4 vaccination screens, when providing advice and/or direction to staff, and is also necessary when driving from site to site for work related activities.
• There is lack of control over the pace of work primarily when there are outbreaks of infectious diseases (i.e. Norovirus, Influenza, MRSA, H1N1), when high-risk patients are admitted, or when laboratory testing indicates that more than one patient in an area has positive results of an organism.
• Subjected to time pressures when there are outbreaks of infectious diseases, pandemic situations requiring halting of normal workflow, when there are requests for advice, guidance, or direction on urgent infection control practices, and to complete reports. Experiences interruptions such as requests for information from a variety of stakeholders (i.e. staff, patients, and their families).
• A higher than normal level of attentiveness is required when outbreaks occur, as they must be acted upon immediately, in order to minimize risk of disease transmission.
• There is a requirement for eye/hand coordination when inputting data into the computer and when performing TB testing or administering vaccinations.
• Exact results and precision are required when reviewing policies and documents, interpreting data of surveillance results, performing calculations of data, and reporting on infection rates and other statistics as they are used as evidence in developing programs and in affecting practice change within the organization.

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Occasionally, required to assess patients with transmissible diseases (i.e. shingles), administer certain tests, give injections to patients, or to enter an infectious area. During these occasions, uses protective equipment such as gloves/masks/gowns/goggles and a N95 respirator. Also required to practice universal precautions such as infection control practices and dispose of needles in appropriate sharps containers. When entering construction sites required to wear a hard hat, work boots, and eye protection.