Minidoka Memorial Hospital

Job Description

Job Title:                   COVID-19 Coordinator / Infection Control

Department:             Nursing

Reports To:            Chief Nursing Officer

FLSA Status:            Non-Exempt

Job Summary

This position is being created to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and is intended to be a temporary position.

This individual will coordinate COVID-19 prevention response, case management, and planning activities with the infection control.  Will work in conjunction with employee health.

Duties and Responsibilities

COVID-19 Coordinator:

• Communicates with employees, patients, and families regarding questions and concerns related to COVID-19.
• Train employees and attending students on hand hygiene, importance of social distancing, and respiratory etiquette.
• Update and implement health and safety protocols in Pandemic Preparedness Readiness Plan.
• Ensure that staff and attending students that have COVID-19 symptoms are immediately assessed and treated appropriately with employee health.
• Enforce hygiene and physical distancing rules.
• Communicates new guidelines, create corresponding policies, and procedures from state and local health departments, the Center for Disease Control, the Governor to the employees, patients, and families.
• Coordinate COVID-19 testing for MMH staff and during their level of care in conjunction with employee health.
• Coordinate/organize vaccine administration for MMH staff and patients.
• Serve as a screener if needed.
• Complete Infection Control training with new hires and ensure they understand the safety measures for COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.
• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

Infection Control:

• Must have strong computer and research skills to ensure they remain up to date with new developments, best practices and standards of care within the field of healthcare.
• Will be required to establish standard methods of care, utilizing evidence based practice and best practice standards.
• Will be required to establish and implement infection control, alongside the departmental directors, throughout the facility.
• Responsible for policies and procedures within the organization related to infection control.
• Ensures compliance with state and federal requirements and accreditation bodies (DNV)
• Participates as an integral team member, collaborating with various departments and colleagues, including Safety Officer, Human Resources, Quality Officer and others as needed to advocate for employee health and safety.
• Responsible for coordinating the infection control program which includes surveillance; analysis of data; developing reports, policies and procedures.
• Use epidemiological principles and statistical methods to design, implement and evaluate infection prevention and control strategies.
• Provides consultation and education to staff, physicians and community leaders in respect to Infection Prevention & Control.
• Assist infection control in conducting risk assessments at least annually and as needed with consideration of served populations, regional vulnerabilities, relevant statistical data, and new and emerging infectious diseases.
• Notify the County and/or State Health Department of any reportable diseases, adhering to all internal county and state procedures.
• Develop and implement continuously improved patient care procedures and control mechanisms relating to quality, compliance and infectious diseases.
• Participate in infection prevention and control education of all employees during orientation and annually thereafter, including classes in infection prevention and control practices and employee health.
• Actively engage in quality improvement activities.
• Participate on committees related to infection control and maintain all meeting minutes.
• Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of three (3) years’ experience in healthcare
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Must be proficient and have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.)
• Professional training in nursing, medical terminology, microbiology, epidemiology or other related field.

Preferred Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (BSN)
• Specialized training in Infection Control
• Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC)

Skills and Competencies

• Read, write, and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos in English.
• Effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Basic computer knowledge.

• Compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

• Apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form and deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Preparing clear and concise reports, records of work and other written materials.
• Situational Awareness in infection prevention and control.
• Ability to make decisions in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with MMH staff and other Health Department personnel.

Physical Requirements

Perceive the nature of sounds by the ear, express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word, perceive characteristics of objects through the eyes, extend arms and hands in any direction, seize, hold, grasp, turn, or otherwise work with hands, pick, pinch, or otherwise work with fingers, perceive such attributes of objects or materials as size, shape, temperature, or texture; and stoop, kneel crouch, and crawl. Must be able to lift 50 pounds maximum with frequent lifting, carrying pushing, and pulling of objects weighing up to 25 pounds. Continuous walking and standing. Must be able to identify, match, and distinguish colors. Rare lifting of greater than 100 pounds.

MMH provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position without compromising patient care.