Infection Control Assistant Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

Assistant Chief Nursing Officer/ Infection Preventionist

Assists in establishing standards of nursing practice, developing policies and procedures for all nursing services, nursing standards of patient care, and standards of nursing practice; he/she also promotes professional growth among clinical staff. Collaborates with Chief Nursing Officer, Nurse Managers, and other members of administration/management to guide the provision of nursing care required by all patients and patient populations served in the facility. The Infection Preventionist is an integral part of the nursing department and accountable for the practical methods of monitoring, preventing, and controlling the spread of infectious diseases within the patient, staff, and visitor population. This staff will formulate and teach educational tools that promote proper hand hygiene, immunization compliance, and promote overall health and well-being with staff and new hires. Directs the overall compliance with regulatory standards including national, state, CMS, DMH and Joint Commission.

About Hill Crest Behavioral Health

Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services is a robust, free-standing psychiatric hospital offering dedicated services to adolescents and adults from the surrounding Birmingham community.  With an average census of 150 patients, Hill Crest features acute inpatient, residential, and group home settings. 

Much more is available online at: https://hillcrestbhs.com/
If you would like to know more about the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer position, please contact our Human Resources Recruiter, LaDeidra Smith-Thomas at (205)-838-4062 or via email at ladeidra.smith@uhsinc,com

• We do not treat medically compromised individuals beyond our scope of care.
• We currently treat:
  • Acute Adults
  • Acute Adolescents
  • Forensic Adult Males
  • Residential Males and Females

Hill Crest Behavioral Health offers comprehensive benefits for the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer position, such as:

• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Competitive Compensation
• Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription Drug Plan
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Student Loan Reimbursement
• Generous Paid Time Off
• 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan

What does our current administration value at Hill Crest & UHS?

A safe and supportive environment that puts patient care first and values our employees.  One of the most rewarding aspects of working at Hill Crest is providing excellent care, comfort, and security to the patients and families you treat, at their most vulnerable times.  You are never alone, as you are part of a large, nationwide network of peers and leaders that educate the field, routinely exchange ideas, and review current topics within the industry.  We are proud of our robust continuing education options and opportunities for skills diversification and career advancement with UHS.  We want to help you succeed and grow in your profession and enjoy a sense of belonging and trust that comes through your expanding experience.  At UHS, you have a voice.

About Universal Health Services

One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. During the year, UHS was again recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune; and listed in Forbes ranking of America’s Largest Public Companies. Operating acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located all over the U.S. States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. www.uhs.com

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Unencumbered, active AL RN license.
• Infection Control/APIC Certification preferred.
• BSN required, plus 3-5 years of behavioral health nursing experience. Master's Degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressive nursing management in a behavioral health setting required.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Accuracy in work performance and valuing of documentation are mandatory characteristics.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Must possess planning, organization, implementation and assessment skills.

DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES + % OF TIME

1. Assists in assuring policies, procedures, and standards describe and guide the provision of nursing care. Participates in development and implementation of policies. Responsible for implementation of new policies/procedures/documentation. Ensures that Infection Control policies are complete and current. 10%

Serve as back up to the CNO in their absence. 5%

2. Communicates and collaborates with all disciplines in the hospital and promotes a positive attitude with nursing services and the medical staff. Supports hospital staff development programs and participates as needed. Directs Nurse Managers, Nurse Supervisors, and other nursing staff in providing quality patient care. 5%

3. Collaborates with Program Director, Director of Social Services, department managers, and nurse managers regarding nursing issues and program issues. Maintains ongoing relationships with other clinical department heads to promote the integrity of the clinical services. 5%

4. In collaboration with Administration and the Medical Staff maintains compliance with Joint Commission standards, ANA standards of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practice, Nurse Practice Act, hospital policies and procedures, and other regulatory requirements as needed. 5%

5. Participates in promoting communication and problem solving. Serves as a role model for nursing personnel and directly supervises all nursing activities. Utilizes problem-solving approach in resolving problems with nursing services and the Medical Staff. 5%

6. Supervises nursing activities related to patient care and sets standards for accurate reporting and recording of patient symptoms, reaction, and progress. Evaluates those activities and makes changes for improvement. Performs careful assessment that medical problems are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner which includes appropriate nursing documentation, i.e., progress notes, MTP, etc. 5%

8. Plans and conducts regular nursing management meetings with CNO to communicate tasks, policies, etc. Completes annual employee evaluations, for supervised staff, in a timely manner as per policy. 5%

9. Serve as nursing educator for nursing services during on-boarding and conduct infection control training for all direct care new hires during on-boarding. 10%

10. Collects and analyzes Infection Control data and reports findings to PI, Patient Safety and Pharmacy and Therapeutics. Serves on Safety, Antibiotic Stewardship, and Infection Control Committees. Perform infection control assessments to be in compliance with hospital policies and regulatory standards. Acts as Lead in communicable disease surveillance 10 %

11. Complete all disease surveillance forms and report as reportable diseases to local and state health departments. Performs outbreak investigations and reports to local and state health department if necessary. Identifies, assists, counsels, and refers employees who have been exposed to blood/body fluids. Monitor and tracks employee illness to determine necessary interventions and/or work restrictions. Work cooperatively with the CNO when communicable diseases are identified. Performs in-services as required and/or requested to assure infection control is provided to all employees. Collects all infection surveillance form and inputs data into database and report findings. Follow up on antibiotic protocols after 72 hours of initiation of antibiotic therapy. 15%

12. Participates in developing, maintaining, and updating written policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day functions of the facility with regards to Employee Health and staff education. Maintains current employee health files on all staff members to assure compliance with all relevant regulations. Manages the TB screening program. Assures appropriate 15%

documentation of testing exists in employee files. Counsel and refer as necessary. Coordinates TB skin tests for new employees and annual for current employees. Develops and distributes correspondence pertaining to employee health issues and annual in-service requirements. Manages flu/influenza vaccine program.

13. Performs other duties as assigned/required by this position. 5%

Physical and Emotional Demands:

Able to stoop, crouch, reach, walk, and stand for sustained periods of time; use extremities to press against something with steady force, as well as pull objects; use extremities to draw, drag, haul, or tug in a sustained motion; able to feel, grasp, and finger objects and lift them from a lower to a higher position or horizontally from one position to another; express and exchange ideas via spoken and written word to convey detailed information in an audible and quick manner; able to make fine discriminations in sound and to perceive the nature of sounds with no less than a 40lb loss at 1,000 and 2,000 Hz, with or without correction; able to substantially move wrist, hands, and/or fingers in a repetitive motion.  Must be able to exert up to 20 lbs. of force often, up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and occasionally exert up to 50 lbs. of force.   Visual acuity required adequate for preparing and analyzing data and figures, accounting, transcription, characters on computer terminals, reading, and visual inspections necessary.

Must be able to work with several distractions including light conversations. Must be able to deal with aggressive, hostile, and irrational behaviors of client/residents.  Must be able to respond immediately in crisis situations concerning patients and/or families.

Work Environment:

The Assistant Chief Nursing Officer is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.  He/she may be subject to environmental conditions that occur inside and outside via routine travel: much work, however, occurs inside under typical facility conditions.

EEO Statement: All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

Avoid and Report Recruitment Scams: At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skill set and experience with the best possible career path at UHS

and our subsidiaries. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (e.g., Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. Our recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.

If you suspect a fraudulent job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, we encourage you to report such concerns to appropriate law enforcement. We encourage you to refer to legitimate UHS and UHS subsidiary career websites to verify job opportunities and not rely on unsolicited calls from recruiters.