Infection Preventionist

Baptist Health Care
United States, Florida, Pensacola
May 02, 2025
Job Description The Infection Preventionist conducts rounds, discusses and monitors infection prevention practices with staff members, collects infection data from departments, conducts outbreak investigation, trains staff members on implementation of infection prevention, investigates incidents of infections and reports such incidents to the appropriate person/department, and ensures availability of supplies required for infection prevention activities. This position coordinates the annual infection control risk assessment in conjunction with the Infection Prevention Committee. IP facilitates compliance with requirements of the accrediting organization, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Florida Department of Health as they relate to infection prevention and control. This position is responsible for making recommendations regarding the prevention and control of infection on a rotating 24-hour basis, providing advice for all staff members and patients on infection prevention issues. Responsibilities Surveillance/Epidemiology: Uses a systematic approach to monitor the effectiveness of prevention and control strategies. Education: Acts as an educator and resource for health care providers, ancillary staff, patients, and visitors regarding infection prevention and control and infectious disease processes. Collaboration/Consultation: Provides expert knowledge, guidance, and routine risk assessments in collaboration and consultation with multidisciplinary teams, as appropriate. Program Management: Ensures execution of the Infection Prevention program goals. Performance Improvement: Develops improvement initiatives focused on reducing HAIs, enhancing patient safety, and minimizing waste. Leadership: Serves as a leader, mentor, and role model for team members throughout the organization. Implementation Science: Uses scientific studies to promote and integrate evidence-based practices into routine practices to improve the quality, reliability, and safety of health care. Research: Conduct, participate in, evaluate, and/or apply research findings to the practice of infection prevention, control, and epidemiology Technology: Expands the use of technology for monitoring, analysis, and reporting of data. Occupational Health: Collaborates with occupational health professionals in the development of strategies to address the risk of disease transmission to healthcare providers and ancillary staff. Collects, analyzes, and interprets health data to plan, implement, evaluate, and disseminate appropriate public health practices. Conducts educational and training activities for healthcare workers through instruction and dissemination of information on healthcare practices. Assist in other duties as assigned to support the operational needs of the department and organization. May be required to remain on campus immediately before, during, and after severe weather and/or disasters. Qualifications Minimum Education Bachelor's Degree Health Care Required Licenses and Certifications Certification In Infection Control (CBIC) within 3 Years Required Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Knowledge of CDC and NHSN reporting requirements. Understanding of stats/data is required as they relate to infection rates. Use of data for improvement. Knowledge of regulatory standards regarding infection prevention/environment of care. Successful use of hand hygiene tools/programs. Ability to lead teams to address infection prevention opportunities About Us Baptist Health Care is a not-for-profit health care system committed to improving the quality of life for people and communities in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The organization includes three hospitals, four medical parks, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, and an extensive primary and specialty care provider network. With more than 4,000 team members, Baptist Health Care is one of the largest non-governmental employers in northwest Florida. Baptist Health Care, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. BHC maintains and enforces a policy that prohibits discrimination against any workforce members or applicants for employment because of sex, race, age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, religion, genetic information, or other category protected by federal, state or local law.