Find & Apply For Epidemiologist Jobs in Chicago, Illinois

Header Job Summary We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Infection Prevention & Control Coordinator - Registered Nurse (RN) to lead and coordinate the hospital's Infection Prevention and Control Program. The Infection Prevention & Control Coordinator is responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating infection prevention strategies designed to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), prevent the transmission of communicable diseases, and promote a safe environment for patients, employees, visitors, and the community. This position serves as a hospital-wide infection prevention resource and works collaboratively with Nursing, Medical Staff, Quality, Employee Health, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Environmental Services, Facilities, and other departments to promote evidence-based infection prevention practices and maintain compliance with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Coordinate and maintain the hospital's Infection Prevention and Control Program and annual Infection Prevention Plan. Conduct ongoing surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and other epidemiologically significant organisms and conditions. Monitor, analyze, trend, and report infection prevention data, including CLABSI, CAUTI, surgical site infections, C. difficile, MRSA, multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), and other identified infection risks. Complete and/or coordinate required National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance, data validation, and reporting. Investigate suspected outbreaks, infection clusters, communicable disease exposures, and unusual infection trends and coordinate appropriate interventions. Conduct infection prevention rounds, observations, audits, and tracers throughout clinical and nonclinical departments. Monitor compliance with hand hygiene, isolation precautions, personal protective equipment (PPE), environmental cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and other infection prevention practices. Develop, review, update, and implement infection prevention policies and procedures consistent with current evidence-based practices and regulatory requirements. Provide infection prevention education, orientation, competency training, and ongoing consultation to hospital staff. Collaborate with Employee Health regarding occupational exposures, communicable diseases, employee infection prevention practices, and other workforce safety concerns. Partner with Pharmacy, physicians, nursing leadership, and other disciplines to support antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Collaborate with Environmental Services and Facilities regarding environmental infection prevention, water management, construction/renovation activities, and Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRA). Participate in Infection Control Committee activities and present infection prevention data, trends, findings, recommendations, and performance improvement initiatives to hospital leadership. Develop and implement corrective actions and performance improvement initiatives when opportunities for infection prevention are identified. Support CMS, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), OSHA, accreditation, and other regulatory compliance activities related to infection prevention. Assist with regulatory surveys, tracers, plans of correction, and continuous survey readiness. Monitor emerging infectious diseases, public health advisories, and changes in infection prevention guidance and communicate appropriate recommendations throughout the organization. Serve as an infection prevention subject-matter expert and resource for hospital leadership, physicians, nursing staff, employees, patients, and families. Minimum Qualifications Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Illinois . Bachelor's degree in Nursing (BSN) or related clinical field. Minimum of 3 years of acute-care nursing experience . Minimum of 1 year of experience in infection prevention, quality improvement, patient safety, employee health, epidemiology, or a closely related clinical area preferred . Knowledge of infection prevention principles, epidemiology, healthcare-associated infection surveillance, isolation precautions, and communicable disease prevention. Knowledge of CDC, NHSN, CMS, OSHA, IDPH, and applicable accreditation infection prevention requirements. Ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and communicate clinical and infection surveillance data. Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills. Ability to educate and influence multidisciplinary teams and promote evidence-based clinical practices. Proficiency with electronic health records, Microsoft Office, and Excel. Preferred Qualifications Certification in Infection Control (CIC). 2 or more years of dedicated acute-care infection prevention experience. Experience with NHSN surveillance, reporting, and data validation. Demonstrated experience with HAI prevention initiatives, including

CLABSI, CAUTI, SSI, C.

difficile, MRSA, and MDRO prevention. Experience preparing for CMS, IDPH, accreditation, or other regulatory surveys. Experience conducting outbreak investigations and developing corrective action plans. Experience with Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRA). Master's degree in Nursing, Public Health, Epidemiology, Healthcare Quality, or a related field. Certification Requirement Certified in Infection Control (CIC) is preferred upon hire. Candidates who are not CIC certified at the time of hire will be expected to obtain CIC certification within 24 months of hire once CBIC eligibility/experience recommendations are met, or within 24 months of becoming eligible. Candidates with strong experience in acute-care nursing, quality, patient safety, employee health, or related areas and interested in developing a career in infection prevention are encouraged to apply. Knowledge and Competencies The successful candidate should demonstrate knowledge or competency in: Infection prevention and epidemiology Healthcare-associated infection surveillance NHSN reporting Outbreak investigation Hand hygiene and isolation practices PPE and transmission-based precautions Sterilization and disinfection principles Environmental infection prevention Antimicrobial stewardship Regulatory and accreditation readiness Quality and performance improvement Clinical staff education Data analysis and reporting Interdisciplinary collaboration Patient and employee safety

Pay:

$85,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Tuition reimbursement

Work Location:

In person