| Principal Duties and Responsibilities 1. Conducts surveillance for infections. a. Collects, summarizes, and analyzes data for surveillance indicators in accordance with the annual plan for surveillance. b. Creates appropriate reports and graphics presentations and presents findings bimonthly to the Infection Control Committee. c. Designs studies to analyze problems defined in the surveillance process and reports study findings to the appropriate groups with recommendations to improve patient outcomes. 2. Acts as a consultant to all hospital departments. a. Provides consultation to attending physicians, house staff, and nurses regarding the management of patients with infectious diseases, and coordinates the implementation of appropriate isolation procedures. b. Acts as a consultant, in collaboration with the Infection Control Manager, on all hospital construction projects. Assists all departments in developing infection control policies that reflect current practices and reviews those policies every two years. c. Serves on various committees, providing infection control expertise Infection Control Committee, Product Evaluation Committee, and others as necessary. d. Effectively problem solves infectious diseases issues across all age groups. e. Develops staff from clinical areas of the hospital as liaison nurses to the Infection Control Department and provides education and support for them. 3. Participates in employee education. a. Assists Nursing Staff Development and Employee Education with the development of infection control aspects of educational programs, and provides infection control orientation to all new hospital employees. b. Presents infection control information and education to individual departments as necessary. c. Is knowledgeable in all ares of infectious disease and across all age categories as evidenced by Certification in Infection Control (CIC) and attendance at continuing education programs. 4. Investigates employee exposures to communicable diseases. a. Performs assessment of risk of all personnel who have a known exposure to a communicable disease and notifies Occupational Health of those exposures. b. Coordinates infection control follow-up between employees, Occupational Health Service, the Department of Public Health, and physician staff as needed. Quality and Safety 5. Actively participates in hospital wide Safety Rounds. 5. Maintains compliance with regulatory agencies. a. Maintains up-to-date knowledge of all mandated policies and requirements of regulatory agencies including CDC, JCAHO, OSHA, MDPH, and EPA, and assists in the development of written plans for compliance with those agencies. b. Plans, designs, and implements educational programs for hospital personnel, to maintain compliance with the regulatory agencies. c. Coordinates notification of reportable diseases to local boards of health, state and federal agencies as indicated.
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