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The Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Health Care System seeks a full-time Infection Preventionist/Multi-Drug Resistant Organism (IP)(MDRO) coordinator to serve in our Infection Disease Unit under the Medicine Service Line. The Infection Preventionist/MDRO Coordinator (IP) position will work Monday through Friday for (5) eight hour days with start time negotiated. There may be times when it is required to perform duties on off tour and/or weekends.
02/08/2019 to 02/22/2019
$50,108 - $104,249 per year
VN 00
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-Time
Excepted
00
No
Yes
CBCC-10419433-19-AA
523787300
The IP position is responsible for covering both University Drive and Heinz campuses for all duties. The IP position requires on-call rotation during off tours and weekends approximately one week every six weeks dependent on staffing. The IP will be responsible for reviewing all Infection Control Medical Center Memorandums, VHA Directives and other policies that pertain to IP at VA Pittsburgh Health System. The IP will also need to be familiar with all regulatory standards that are applicable to Infection Prevention and MDR prevention including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Joint Commission (JC) and Association for Committee Representation:The IP will represent the interests of the Infection Prevention department at committee meetings and other meetings as needed and provide education in IP related topics to VAPHS employees.
Committees include but are not limited to:
- Safety Committee
- CLIP Committee-Central Line Infection Prevention Committee
- CAUTI Committee-Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection Prevention Group
- IPT Committee- Infection Prevention Team Meeting
- CPRC -Clinical Product Review Committee
- RME Committee-Reusable Medical Equipment
- Infection Prevention Liaison Committee
- Water Safety Committee
- Construction Committee
- Accident Review Board
- Sharps Committee
- CLC Committee-Clinical Leadership Council
Surveillance:
- The IP will be familiar with CDC NHSN Surveillance definitions and utilize those definitions to define and subsequently classify infections when reviewing microbiology cultures daily.
- The IP will be familiar with VHA MDRO Program Office Surveillance definitions and utilize those definitions to define and subsequently classify infections when reviewing microbiology cultures and culture swabs daily
. - The IP will be familiar with Theradoc and functions within the computer application to review clinical cultures and other pertinent lab and clinical test results.
- The IP will be fluent in identifying patients that require isolation precautions and appropriately placing notes in CPRS and notifying clinical areas of requirements
. - The IP will coordinate point prevalence studies at the CLC as needed.
- The IP will be fluent in identifying diseases, and MRSA infections to Allegheny County Health Department through their online tool, that are reportable to the Pennsylvania State Health Department through PANEDDS computer application within the defined time limitations.
- The IP will be signed off to collect water samples for environmental surveillance for Legionella and enter data into the Water Database.
- The IP will be trained to evaluate previous cultures and determine sites for water sampling based on hospital policy.
- The IP will be trained to complete reports on all infection data and MDRO data and submit data to IPEC Monthly. Reports of hospital acquired
- infections and MRSA colonization and infection transmission should be sent to all clinical units and hospital leadership at least monthly.
Education:
- The IP will provide educational training to any and all staff as necessary.
- The IP will conduct quarterly unit briefings in all clinical areas at least quarterly.
- The IP will present basic Infection Prevention policies and practices at Annual Mandatory Skills Training for all service lines as requested and New Employee Orientation Nursing Orientation.
- The IP will be available as needed to provide education to patients and families including phone calls and letters mailed to veterans who have been determined to have MRSA after discharge.
- The IP will also report as needed to any area of the hospital that requires assistance in preventing transmission of MDRO.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday for (5) eight hour days with start time negotiated, perform duties on off tour and/or weekends, cover both UD and HZ campuses for all duties and perform on-call rotation during off tours and weekends approximately one week every six weeks dependent on staffing when necessary
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Annual leave shall accrue for full-time Nurses, and Nurse Anesthetists at the rate of 8 hours for each full biweekly pay period.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: Candidate's education and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered by a Nurse Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.
Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following four dimensions of nursing: Practice, Professional Development, Collaboration and Scientific Inquiry. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/22/2019 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10419433.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/523787300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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