Senior Infection Preventionist

The purpose of the Senior Infection Preventionist position is to support the Mercy Ships mission as well as restore, promote and maintain health in the people we serve. The Senior Infection Preventionist is responsible for acting as a liaison and resource person for Infection Control and will be responsible for the management of all Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) activities, under the guidance of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee (IPPC). Responsibilities include collecting, analyzing and providing infection data and trends to nursing staff and physicians. The Senior Infection Preventionist will serve in the role of educating medical and non-medical crew members about Infection Prevention and Control practices.  Additional tasks include monitoring the ship environment to ensure safe practices of infection prevention according to hospital and ship policies. The IPC’s program will use evidence-based practices and World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines as its foundation.

   • Serves as a member of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee

• Contributes to organization-wide Infection Prevention and Control Program

• Serves as Team Leader of the IPC team, which consists of the Senior Infection Preventionist and the Infection Preventionist

• Responsible for orientation and training of new Infection Preventionists onboard

• Revises the IPC Plan annually and Creates IPC goals for the current field service

• Develops and regularly reviews all policies and procedures for infection control to maintain standards and practice compliance

• Provides routine and special education on infection control and safety-related topics as needed

• Performs inspection rounds in all areas of the hospital and outpatient clinics for compliance with IPC policies

• Participates in assigned committees: Mercy Ships Hospital Review Board, Mercy Ships Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Committee, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, Mercy Ships Safety Committee

• Identify infection prevention and control risks through surveillance activities, including data collection and analysis as it pertains to patients, crew members, caregivers and families

• Develops interventions using guidelines from CDC, WHO and other relevant sources.

• Collect, record and analyze data, and liaise with members of the IPCC (and others as necessary) to identify opportunities to reduce the risk of transmission of infection

• Document observations related to the causes of infection and/or infection trends

• Implement measures to prevent the transmission of infectious agents and to reduce risks for device and procedure-related infections, and evaluate outcomes 

• Serve as a knowledgeable and available resource on evidence-based infection control practices and policies to health care personnel, patients, visitors and general crew

• Plan and deliver educational programs for hospital crew members and day workers; examples include: proper hand hygiene, use of PPE, safe injection practices and infection updates

• The Senior Infection Preventionist will work in conjunction with the Ward and OR Team Leaders and the Ward and OR Educators to provide ongoing and “just in time training”

• Supportive Of Mercy Ships Mission And Vision, And Committed To Its Core Values

• Able To Live In And Contribute To Community Life, Requiring Stable And Healthy Interpersonal Skills

• Understands And Applies Servant Leadership, Works Collaboratively With Integrity And Demonstrates Accountability

• Balances IPC Team’s Daily Schedule To Ensure Adequate Support And Performance Of Duties

• Provides Data And Reports In A Timely Manner

• Strong Oral And Written Communications Skills

• Fluent In English

• Knowledge Of Hospital Procedures, Standards And Equipment

• Knowledgeable With Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel And Word)

• Studies Current IPC Practices And Trends Through Use Of Journals, The Internet, National Organizations And Networking

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing required (or international equivalent); Master’s degree preferred

• Baccalaureate or Master’s degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Medical Technology or related field will be considered 

• Certification in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CIC preferred) or working towards certification will be considered

• Minimum of 5 years’ clinical experience in hospital settings or disease surveillance experience in a public health setting

• Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC), training courses (Epi 101 and Epi 102) or equivalent

• Current BLS (Basic Life Support) for Healthcare Providers certification is required; ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) are optional

• Current unencumbered state or country license in Nursing or equivalent

• Mercy Ships alumni preferred, but not required

• Experience with humanitarian responses or medical missions to underserved locations desired

• Commitments of 12 months or longer require successful completion of Mercy Ships On Boarding program