Covenant Health

Corporate Infection Prevention Coordinator, Clinical Quality

Full time, 80 hours per pay period, Day shift

Covenant Health Overview:

Covenant Health is the region’s top-performing healthcare network with 10 hospitals, outpatient and specialty services, and Covenant Medical Group, our area’s fastest-growing physician practice division. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned integrated healthcare delivery system and the area’s largest employer. Our more than 11,000 employees, volunteers, and 1,500 affiliated physicians are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the more than two million patients and families we serve every year. Covenant Health is the only healthcare system in East Tennessee to be named a Forbes “Best Employer” seven times. 

Position Summary: 

Responsible for identifying, investigating, monitoring, and reporting healthcare-associated infections. Supervises and helps manage the infection prevention teams at each of the Covenant Health facilities. Collaborates with the manager, facility, and system stakeholders including administration, physicians, and others to develop a comprehensive infection prevention plan for Covenant Health. The coordinator, in collaboration with others, will be responsible for determining, organizing, and completing infection prevention functions that are completed centrally (e.g., reporting infections to required state entities, infection data reporting, and developing, editing, and promoting system infection prevention policies). Additionally, will be responsible for consulting on best practices to proactively prevent healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs).

Recruiter:

Susanna Mcguinn ||smcguinn@covhlth.com || 865-374-5377

• Supervises facility infection preventionists and instructs them in proper infection prevention and control procedure.
• Coordinates daily staffing needs and assists with duties as needed.
• Stays involved in the selection, training, orientation, and development of infection preventionists at the local level, as directed.
• Facilitates professional development of employees and assists with staff retention efforts.
• Demonstrates effective interpersonal skills necessary to interact in a professional manner with the local infection preventionists and customers across the system.
• Conducts rounds on employees and completes employee evaluations and appraisals, as directed.
• Maintains communications between the manager, nursing leaders, medical staff, and infection prevention.
• Utilizes epidemiologic principles to conduct surveillance and investigations.
• Available as an ad-hoc member of each local facilities infection prevention committee
• Applies mathematical concepts such as fractions, percentages, rates, and proportions to practical situations. Works with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical tools for analysis and problem solving. Creates and interprets various charts and graphs to present data in understandable format.
• Stays involved in the development, edits, and implementation of system level infection prevention policies for approval by required administrative and governing personnel/bodies.
• Organizes and leads system infection prevention new employee orientation.
• Reports to public health regarding communicable diseases.
• Networks throughout the organization and in the community with the goal of exchanging knowledge and expertise.
• Maintains current knowledge of CDC guidelines and recommendations for infection prevention/control and definitions of health care associated infections.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:           

Baccalaureate or Associate degree in nursing, public health, epidemiology, clinical laboratory science, medical technology, or related field.

Minimum Experience:         

Three (3) years’ experience in designated specialty area.

Licensure Requirement:      

Must have and maintain certification in Infection Control and Epidemiology (i.e., CIC© preferred) within two (2) years of employment.

If the applicant is a nurse, must have and maintain Tennessee State nursing licensure.