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You’ll want to join Billings Clinic for our outstanding quality of care, exciting environment, interesting cases from a vast geography, advanced technology and educational opportunities. We are in the top 1% of hospitals internationally for receiving Magnet® Recognition consecutively since 2006.

And you’ll want to stay at Billings Clinic for the amazing teamwork, caring atmosphere, and a culture that values kindness, safety and courage. This is an incredible place to learn and grow. Billings, Montana, is a friendly, college community in the Rocky Mountains with great schools and abundant family activities. Amazing outdoor recreation is just minutes from home. Four seasons of sunshine!

You can make a difference here.

About Us

Billings Clinic is a community-owned, not-for-profit, Physician-led health system based in Billings with more than 4,700 employees, including over 550 physicians and non-physician providers. Our integrated organization consists of a multi-specialty group practice and a 304-bed hospital.Learn more (https://www.billingsclinic.com/about-us/) about Billings Clinic (our organization, history, mission, leadership and regional locations) and how we are recognized nationally for our exceptional quality.

Your Benefits

We provide a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to all full- and part-time employees (minimum of 20 hours/week), including Medical, Dental, Vision, 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer matching, Defined Contribution Pension Plan, Paid Time Off, employee wellness program, and much more.Click here (https://www.billingsclinic.com/careers/employee-benefits/) for more information ordownload the Employee Benefits Guide (https://ncstoragemlbillings.blob.core.windows.net/public/2021%20Billings%20Clinic%20Staff%20Benefits%20Guide.pdf) .

Magnet: Commitment to Nursing Excellence

Billings Clinic is proud to be recognized for nursing excellence as a Magnet®-designated organization, joining only 97 other organizations worldwide that have achieved this honor four times. The re-designation process happens every four years. Click here (https://www.billingsclinic.com/campaign-landing-pages/magnet/) to learn more!

Pre-Employment Requirements

All new employees must complete several pre-employment requirements prior to starting. Click here (https://billingsclinic.csod.com/ats/careersite/search.aspx?site=15&c=billingsclinic) to learn more!

Infection Preventionist

PATIENT SAFETY (BILLINGS CLINIC 2950 10TH AVE N BUILDING)

req10059

Shift: Day, Weekends

Employment Status: Full-Time (.75 or greater)

Hours per Pay Period: 1.00 = 80 hours every two weeks (Exempt)

Starting Wage DOE: $40.91 - $51.14

Patient Safety Specialist in Infection Prevention and Control (Infection Prevention Specialist) is a position within the Patient Safety Department and Transformation Division of Billings Clinic. The Infection Preventionist serves as a subject matter expert regarding the surveillance, prevention, and control of healthcare-associated infections. The Patient Safety Specialist in Infection Prevention and Control provides consultative services focused on providing the highest quality and safest care to patients while decreasing risk to the organization. The position reports to theDirector of Patient Safety and Infection Control and assumes responsibility for one or more of the following functions:%%Performs healthcare-associated infection surveillance, prevention, and control activities all aimed at reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) to patients, employees, students, volunteers, and visitors.%%Assists the Director in implementing the essential components of an infection control program. Essential components include surveillance and measurement, epidemic controls and interventions, policy, procedures, standards including meeting required regulatory and accreditation standards for a comprehensive infection control program, patient health promotion, employee health, environmental controls, public health, and leadership and accountability.%%Scope of work includes acute care hospital, ambulatory clinics, branch clinic locations, ambulatory surgery center, and fully owned and affiliated regional facilities.

Essential Job Functions

• GENERAL

• Assists the Director in the development of organization-wide infection prevention and control policies and procedures.

• Participates in both short and long-term planning for the department.

• Identifies need and sets goals for own growth and development in collaboration with the Director of Infection Control & Patient Safety; meets all mandatory organizational and department requirements.

• Maintains competency in all organizational, departmental, and outside agency environmental, employee or patient safety standards relevant to job performance.

• Interprets, supports, and models behaviors consistent with the mission and philosophy of Billings Clinic.

• INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAM / PRACTICE

• Supports patient safety activities and practices through utilizing the knowledge of the infection prevention and control science, process improvement principles, high reliability organizing, behavioral sciences, and quality standards for improving patient care and services.

• Effectively builds and maintains relationships with colleagues from key departments, including environmental services, safety, emergency preparedness, facility services, construction management, pharmacy, nursing, nursing leadership, surgery leadership, sterile processing, quality, medical staff, risk management, linen services, materials management, volunteer services, human resources, organizational development, professional development, operational leaders, executive management, and other stakeholders through positive interaction, problem identification, and resolution.

• Reviews, analyzes, and applies existing regulations, standards, guidelines of applicable professional organizations and governmental agencies. Integrates regulatory requirements and current infection prevention and control practice into organizational standards and practices.

• Reviews, analyzes, and applies pertinent information from current scientific literature and publications. Integrates relevant public health issues into practice.

• Assists in the development of methodologies to fulfill the organization’s strategic initiatives for infection control program management and improvement.

• Educates and assists medical, nursing, and other clinical staff, management, and senior executive leadership, in identifying and capitalizing upon opportunities for improvement and facilitates cross-functional team development, when appropriate.

• Standardizes processes to optimize learning from infection control risk assessments, safety assistance team rounds, infection prevention rounds, and Infection Control Commissioning of newly constructed or renovated areas.

• Assists in the development of infection prevention and control education for new employee orientation, annual training, and in-service programs to departments. Provides education in infection prevention and control principles and practices related to emerging infectious diseases.

• Participates in preparation of the annual Infection Program Risk Assessment and Plan. Selects indicators and designs surveillance based on projected use of data.

• Partners with Pharmacy and assists in meeting antimicrobial stewardship program requirements. Assists in publishing the annual system-wide antibiogram. Works with Infectious Disease Pharmacist in identifying needs for antimicrobial stewardship program and assists with annual goal setting to meet CMS Core Measures.

• SURVEILLANCE, MANAGEMENT OF CRITICAL DATA, INFORMATION, AND REPORTING

• Conducts surveillance activities and outbreak/exposure investigations by using epidemiologic principles.

• Reviews all clinical microbiologic cultures and related diagnostic tests to determine if cases meet surveillance definitions for healthcare-associated infections. Performs analysis of findings and disseminates key findings to providers to improve performance.

• Identifies infectious disease processes. Interprets the relevance of diagnostic and laboratory reports and correlates clinical signs and symptoms with various infectious disease processes. Differentiates between colonization, infection, and contamination. Differentiates between prophylactic, empiric, and therapeutic uses of antimicrobials.

• Investigates incidents of hospital and community-associated infections, and reports to appropriate facility staff, leaders, and public health officials.

• Initiates epidemiologic investigations when unusual organisms or clusters of infections are observed in the incidence of healthcare-associated infections. Summarizes findings, reports findings to healthcare personnel, leadership for corrective action. Conducts outbreak investigations when indicated and assists in designing and promoting interventions targeted at the reduction of increases observed in healthcare-associated infections.

• Maintains accurate record of healthcare-associated infections (HAI), communicable disease reportable conditions within patient safety software systems (e.g., National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

• Assures accuracy of healthcare-associated infection event data entry into program software and meets deadlines for public reporting.

• Prepares regular reports appropriate to the audience.

• Provides routine and custom reports to nursing, medical staff, oversight committees, operational leaders, executive leaders, and governing board.

• Assists Director in preparing an annual Infection Prevention Program report.

• POLICIES, PROCEDURE, AND STANDARDS

• Develops and revises system-wide infection control policies and procedures, and guidelines. Reviews and assists with evaluation of various departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines as they relate to infection prevention and control.

• Demonstrates understanding of regulatory and advisory guidelines through application.

• Reviews, analyzes, and implements regulations, standards, or guidelines of applicable governmental agencies, accreditation bodies, and professional organizations.

• Conducts activities to maintain continuous preparedness for periodic and annual accreditation surveys.

• Provides feedback to regulatory, advisory, and accrediting agencies regarding opportunities for improvement in standards and regulations.

• PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS

• Assesses infection risks of design, construction, and renovation that impact patient care settings. Participates in the construction and renovation infection control risk assessment process. Conducts construction project safety rounds and participates in construction planning and safety meetings.

• Provides recommendations regarding new construction design, renovation, and assures compliance with national and professional standards to reduce the risk of infection.

• Performs surveillance and environment of care rounds. Discusses and monitors infection prevention practices with staff members and intervenes when needed to assure appropriate infection prevention practices are meeting standards.

• Evaluates and approves cleaning and disinfectant products for the organization.

• Collaborates on the evaluation and monitoring of environmental cleaning and disinfection practices and technologies.

• Identifies and evaluates critical steps of cleaning, high-level disinfection, and sterilization practices. Assures processes are maintained through practice audits and safety assistance team rounds.

• PUBLIC HEALTH

• Serves as the public health liaison and reports communicable disease conditions to the local and state health departments as required by law.

• Maintains log of all reportable conditions within department and assures timely reporting of clusters or trends identified through routine surveillance methods.

• Serves on Yellowstone County’s Health and Medical Advisory Group and collaborates in planning community / facility responses to biologic threats and disasters.

• Collaborates with public health officials in identifying trends in communicable diseases, planning, and mitigation to address emerging communicable diseases and epidemics.

• Collaborates with community healthcare organizations and other regional infection preventionists and leaders.

• EMPLOYEE HEALTH

• Collaborates with Employee Health and assist with the development of policies and procedures related to occupational risk to infectious disease.

• Work with Employee Health personnel in assessing risk of occupational exposure to infectious diseases.

• Collaborates with Employee Health regarding counseling, follow-up and work restriction recommendations related to communicable disease and exposures.

• Serve as subject matter experts related to infectious disease processes and assist in maintaining current employee health communicable disease handbook.

• RISK MANAGEMENT

• Cooperates and collaborates regularly with Risk Management for both risk prevention measures and clinical event investigation.

• Provides support to Risk Management for resolution of serious customer complaints and issues related to the quality of patient care and services and imminent safety/risk situations including mandatory reporting to FDA for serious patient/employee injury or death resulting from a medical device.

• Exhibits effort and follow through in resolving customer problems and needs in a timely manner or keeps customers informed of status and issues.

• HIGH RELIABILITY ORGANIZING

• Demonstrates understanding of high reliability organizing (HRO) principles through use of Universal Skills and behaviors that promote patient and employee safety.

• Utilizes HRO Universal Skills in daily work.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, public health, epidemiology, clinical laboratory science, medical technology, or other health related field.

Experience

• Five (5) years of clinical experience, three years in a hospital setting preferred. Experience in communicable disease surveillance, formal leadership, or leading cross-functional teams, is preferred.

Certifications and Licenses

• Board Certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CIC©) Preferred or must obtain within 3 years of hire.

Or an equivalent combination of education and experience relating to the above tasks, knowledge, skills and abilities will be considered. Employees that require a licensed or certification must be properly licensed/certified and the licensure/certification must be in good standing.

Billings Clinic is Montana’s largest health system serving Montana, Wyoming and the western Dakotas. A not-for-profit organization led by a physician CEO, the health system is governed by a board of community members, nurses and physicians. Billings Clinic includes an integrated multi-specialty group practice, tertiary care hospital and trauma center, based in Billings, Montana. Learn more atwww.billingsclinic.com/aboutus (https://www.billingsclinic.com/about-us/)

Billings Clinic is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming employer, that strives to be kind, safe, and courageous in all we do. As an equal opportunity employer, our policies and processes are designed to achieve fair and equitable treatment of all employees and job applicants. All employees and job applicants will be provided the same treatment in all aspects of the employment relationship, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, and/or disability. To ensure we provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees, please let us know if you need any accommodations during the recruitment process.