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This position supports Kaiser Permanente's code of conduct and compliance by adhering to all laws and regulations, accreditation and Licensure requirements, and internal policies and procedures. Kaiser Permanente is proud to be an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Department: Infection Control
Schedule: Full-Time, Regular, 40 hour per week, Days,
Education/Licensure/Certification: Diploma in Nursing or degree in other related field such as clinical laboratory science, epidemiology, public health, microbiology. Two years relevant clinical experience as an Infection Control Professional or Nurse Epidemiologist in an acute care medical center may be substituted for the degree requirement. Licensure as a Registered Nurse issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing or degree in another related discipline such as clinical laboratory science, microbiology, epidemiology, public health. Completion of the Beginner IC Practitioner Program (APIC) within two years of hire
Qualifications: Demonstrates knowledge of microbiology, asepsis, disinfection/sterilization, infectious diseases, communication, program administration and epidemiology. Minimum of three years experience in an acute care hospital utilizing basic clinical knowledge of medical and surgical procedures, treatments and patient management Demonstrates ability or plan for supplemental education to ensure comprehension and utilization of scientific data and basic statistical techniques/methods; screening of data results for variations and/or errors; functioning as a liaison, instructor and consultant with client departments. Demonstrates written and oral communication skills with IC Team, healthcare workers and MDs Preferred Qualifications: Baccalaureate degree in nursing. Certification Infection Control (CIC) issued by the Certification Board of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control. Demonstrates problem solving, and decision making Demonstrates ability to develop and present educational programs effectively and communicate in a clear, concise and timely manner. Demonstrates skills in educating adults and children Demonstrates skills in the use of internal databases, infection control surveillance software, spreadsheet and presentation applications (such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint) Demonstrates ability to develop and review/revise policies/procedures Demonstrates ability to influence the behavior of healthcare workers and physicians Demonstrates customer service standards when interacting with internal and external customers/members
Duties: Program Coordination: Assists with facilitation of the Infection Control Committee meetings. Distributes the findings and recommendations of the infection control program to the appropriate individuals, committees, departments, and units Provides consultation to administration, committees, and department managers on issues relating to infection control Collaborates with Occupational/Employee Health to institute and maintain control measures pertaining to health care worker and member infection control issues. Communicates Infection Control regulations and Regulatory Standards to all appropriate personnel Participates in Kaiser Permanente Infection Control Peer Group Maintains confidentiality of data and information in accordance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations Maintains knowledge base of current infection prevention and control information through continuing education, published literature, internet access and professional organizations Surveillance: Provides input in developing a surveillance plan for healthcare associated infections. Performs surveillance activities using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions Collects, collates, determines the incidence of healthcare associated infections; calculates surgical site infection rates as well as device related infection rates and assists IC Manager in analyzing Infection Control healthcare associated data. Identifies baseline/threshold rates Assesses patient status for (1) serologic and microbiology laboratory results, (2) signs and symptoms of infection, and (3) host factors Interprets results of diagnostic findings and testing (x ray reports, lab work) Uses National Kaiser Infection Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) benchmarking in report creation, identifying variances Notifies appropriate health care providers/personnel regarding critical microbiology results Implements plans/projects/programs to prevent/control patient and healthcare worker exposure to communicable diseases Identifies resistant organisms and appropriate precautions for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)/Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) Reporting: Interacts with the public health department to respond to inquiries as necessary (e.g., communicable diseases, healthcare worker exposure). Risk Reduction: Participates in development and maintenance of written Infection Control and Prevention policies and procedures. Participates in evaluation of patient care environments for infection control practices and hazards through environmental rounds Participates in collaboration with Sterile Processing, Dialysis, Construction and Environmental Services (EVS) activities to assess infection control and prevention activities in each of these departments Forwards reports of performance improvement efforts and healthcare associated infections to the appropriate committees Collaborates with Safety in development and maintenance of the BBP (Bloodborne Pathogen),TB (Tuberculosis), and Bioterrorism exposure control plans. Outbreak Control: At direction of IC Manager, applies epidemiological principles during outbreak investigations (e.g. Pertussis, Tuberculosis). At direction of IC Manager conducts investigations of clusters of infection occurring above expected levels. Collaborates with others to implement and evaluate control measures. Educates health care providers and staff of precautions for individual patients when indicated Recognizes sentinel events for immediate review and investigation Participates in the review and reporting Education: Participates in assessing the educational needs of healthcare providers regarding department specific infection control issues/improvement needs Applies adult learning principles Participates in providing new employee orientation and annual education regarding Infection Control Project Management: Assists with collects data/information from a variety of sources during performance improvement projects. Identifies regulatory standards (Title 22, JCAHO, etc.) that apply to the project Helps define the objectives for the project including sponsors, desired outcomes, stakeholders, customers, and metrics for success. Assists with assembling a project team, which includes all major stakeholders Assists with project meeting agendas, minutes, project plan identifying timeline, milestones and responsible parties Communicates to stakeholders, sponsors and other interested parties using project plan to track progress Maintains thorough documentation Communicates issues/barriers to IC Manager for action Assists with establishment of procedures for implementation of project outcome. Assists with development of communication plan for all affected parties Assists with analyzing the results of the project based on the metrics for success. Produces and shares a final report which summarizes the experience and outlines the results, learning's and findings. Exhibits good time management proactively problem solves.
Code of Ethics: Consistently supports compliance and the Principles of Responsibility (Kaiser Permanente's Code of Conduct) by maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information, protecting the assets of the organization, acting with ethics and integrity, reporting non compliance, and adhering to applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations