Registered Nurse (Infection Prevention)

The incumbent serves as a resource in the prevention, identification and control of infections through evidence-based practice and adherence to infection prevention guidelines. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to promote a culture of safety, regulatory standards and implement strategies to reduce infection risks and improve patient outcomes. Provide education, guidance and evaluation of infection prevention practices to support quality improvement and patient safety within the facility.

Major Duties: Lead and support the Infection Control Program through evidence-based infection prevention practices. Conduct infection surveillance, monitoring, risk assessments, and data analysis to identify, track, and reduce healthcare-associated infection risks. Develop, implement, maintain, and evaluate infection control policies, procedures, SOPs, investigations, and regulatory documentation. Ensure compliance with VHA, TJC, OSHA, OIG, state regulations, and national infection prevention standards (CDC, APIC, SHEA, IDSA, etc.). Provide infection prevention education, training, consultation, and subject matter expertise to staff and leadership. Collaborate with interdisciplinary partners, including Employee Occupational Health, Patient Safety, Engineering, Risk Management, and Industrial Hygiene. Coordinate and support immunization programs, communicable disease reporting, outbreak investigations, and public health initiatives. Participate in key organizational programs and committees, including Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), Construction Safety, and Water Safety. Conduct infection control risk assessments and inspections for construction and renovation projects. Collect, trend, analyze, and report infection prevention data to support quality improvement and organizational decision-making. Evaluate the effectiveness of infection control activities across all services and practice settings. Participate in research, performance improvement, and other initiatives that enhance patient safety and organizational outcomes. Provide leadership for Infection Control Program planning, implementation, compliance, and continuous improvement. Mentor and support staff development through education, knowledge sharing, and promotion of evidence-based practice. Assess resource needs, communicate program variances, and help guide strategic infection prevention priorities. Review and revise facility policies based on evolving regulatory requirements and professional standards. Lead enterprise-level infection prevention initiatives with measurable impact at the facility and VISN levels. Serve as the primary liaison with public health authorities for communicable disease reporting and epidemiologic concerns. Champion performance improvement efforts and drive sustained improvements in infection prevention outcomes. Demonstrate expert consultation, leadership, and influence in advancing organizational infection prevention strategy. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination. A current, state issued driver's license is required for this position. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. 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.