Infection Control Practitioner

at  Northumberland Hills Hospital

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

• Successful completion of a Baccalaureate degree in a health-related discipline
• Previous experience as an Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner in a healthcare setting and familiarity with inpatient care practices
• Successful completion of an IPAC Canada endorsed basic training course in Infection Prevention and Control
• Must have obtained, or be committed to obtaining, Certification in Infection Prevention and Control through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology within two years of being hired
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and be self-directed as well as ability to function as a collaborative team member
• Well-developed communication, interpersonal, organizational, and teaching skills
• Demonstration of a professional and respectful attitude to patients, public, volunteers, and colleagues and fosters good public relations and effective working relationships
• Ability to respond to multiple simultaneous/competing demands from patients, families, health care providers, and other programs or departments
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Sound understanding of data collection, epidemiology, research, and principles of adult education
• Working knowledge of computer word processing, databases and patient and laboratory information systems
• Availability to work flexible hours to meet occasional surges in work demands
• Ability to perform the physical demands of the position
• Demonstrated compliance with all Occupational Health and Safety Legislation and Infection Prevention and Control practices
• Proven good attendance record with capability of maintaining this same standard

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Successful applicants are required provide a satisfactory vulnerable sector criminal reference check, that was complete less than one year from the date of hire. This requirement must be met within the first sixty (60) days of employment.
Additionally, to the above, successful applicants are also required to complete the Health Care Worker Health review process which includes providing an up-to-date immunization record to ensure compliance with the Ontario Hospital Association Communicable Diseases Surveillance Protocols within the first thirty (30) days of employment. Northumberland Hills Hospital operates a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all staff.
Northumberland Hills Hospital may choose to conduct parts/all the hiring process virtually. Furthermore, we are a scent-free environment. When attending the hospital kindly refrain from wearing strongly scented fragrances.
While we thank all those that express interest in this exciting position; kindly note that due to high volumes of interests, only those selected for an interview will be contacted

ROLE OVERVIEW

Reporting to, and in collaboration with, the Manager of Occupational Health and Infection Control, the Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) will function as an integral member of the Northumberland Hills Hospital care team. In fostering a culture of safety, the ICP will provide expertise and consultation to staff, physicians, patients, and families to identify, prevent, and manage infections. The ICP conducts surveillance, audits, data reporting, epidemiological analysis, outbreak management, investigations, education, and facilitation of the implementation and evaluation of infection prevention and control (IPAC) interventions. The ICP is considered a leader and a change agent with the primary goal of reducing the risk of health care-associated infections.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develops, coordinates, and performs daily surveillance activities through a review of patient charts and microbiology reports and unit rounding for admitted patients to identify infectious diseases and reduce transmission of infectious agents
• Interprets laboratory results, clinical signs, and symptoms in the assessment of infectious etiologies and the appropriate implementation of additional precautions
• Conducts exposure investigation and analysis, identifies early transmission of organisms and/or outbreaks
• Takes a leadership role in the investigation and management of unit level communicable disease outbreaks and works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to mitigate risk through the implementation of outbreak control measures
• Acts as an advisor to patient care units/access and flow for safe patient placement
• Coaches workers in safe IPAC measures, including hand hygiene practices and personal protective equipment use
• Develops and delivers IPAC education, training, and orientation to providers, current and new workers, patients, and visitors
• Audits IPAC practices for compliance to standards or for quality improvement initiatives
• Assists with implementing the annual influenza immunization program and maintains vaccination status tracking data for reporting purposes
• Assesses educational needs and develops strategies, programs, and resources
• Reviews, analyzes, and applies current scientific literature, regulations, standards, best practice guidelines, and directives to support the implementation of IPAC standards and improve patient outcomes
• Analyzes collected data and reports cases or epidemiologically significant findings to appropriate personnel or public health agencies
• Participates as a member of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee and others, as appropriate
• Updates dashboards for reporting of patient safety indicators, including health care-associated infections (HAIs), at the QPC level
• Coordinates and facilitates quality reviews to determine improvements related to health care associated infections and facilitates the implementation of improvement initiatives as identified by the Infection Prevention and Control Committee and other stakeholders.
• Provides expertise in the evaluation and risk assessment of new or existing products and equipment
• Functions as advisor with facility planning on renovation and construction design initiatives throughout the project life cycle, according to IPAC standards.
• Maintains a current state of accreditation readiness for IPAC ROPs and Priority Processes
• Completes and distributes IPAC Newsletters on established schedules
• Monitors NHH IPAC email Inbox daily and responds to any enquiries within a timely manner
• Participates in on-call schedule, as required