Southbridge Care Homes Looking for Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) Lead – Owen Sound at Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada Full Time

Location: Owen Sound, ON

Position: Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Lead – Permanent Full-time

Southbridge Care Homes are currently looking to add a caring, passionate, and enthusiastic Infection Prevention and Control Lead to join our community, who can serve our lovely residents, to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.

Reporting to the Regional IPAC Specialist, the IPAC Lead will be a resident safety expert who leads the planning, development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of system-wide improvements in infection prevention and serve as a role model to promote the goals of the IPAC program within the context of the vision and mission of Southbridge. You will facilitate change through interpretation and application of standards and provide best practice recommendations with the ultimate goal of improving resident outcomes and preventing disease outbreaks.

As an IPAC Lead you will be accountable for…

• Coordination and implementation of infection prevention and control practices for the home;
• Participate in the planning of an infection surveillance program and lead the management of outbreaks in consultation with the local public health unit;
• Perform daily infection surveillance and develop the monthly surveillance report;
• Educate staff on the principles and practices of infection prevention and act as a resource regarding infection prevention and control;
• Maintain current vaccines for all residents; ensure the home is in compliance with the infection control guidelines mandated by the Long-Term Care Homes Act;
• Plan, develop, deliver and implement all training/orientation for current and new employees in accordance with legislation and health care standards, and in consultation with the Leadership Committee;
• Regularly evaluate training programs to ensure the needs of the home is being met;
• Identify and report safety hazards, conduct regular safety inspections and follow safe working practices and behavior;
• Provide expert guidance on facility design, maintenance, and construction projects;
• Lead the implementation of changes mandated by regulatory, accrediting, and licensing agencies (includes reporting communicable diseases to the local public health);
• Monitor staff compliance with infection prevention guidelines regarding the disposal of sharps and biomedical waste, use of personal protective equipment, hand hygiene practices and provides reports to the Infection Prevention Committees;
• Analyze infection trends, risk factors, and evaluate prevention and control strategies;
• Perform program assessment and make recommendations for correction and improvement;
• Lead the annual influenza vaccination campaign;
• Lead outbreak response efforts in coordination with the local public health unit;
• Conduct research and interpret evidence-based literature in developing IPAC best practices, guidelines, tools, and resources.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have one (1) of the following qualifications and skills:

• RN/RPN degree or diploma.
• Bachelor’s degree in other healthcare related field, e.g., Microbiology, Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Science, Medicine or Occupational Health.

The ideal candidate must fulfill at least one (1) of the criteria listed below:

• Certified in infection control CIC or a-IPC.
• Willingness to be enrolled in the certification program within 6 months of accepting the role and commitment to be certified within one year.
• A minimum 1 to 2 years of experience in infection control is required.
• Previous experience in long-term care as well as knowledge of applicable legislation is an asset.

Required IPAC specific education (before or after in role):

• IPAC leads must have completed any of the IPAC Canada endorsed infection prevention and control courses.
• (online)

Interested applicants should send their resumes through this posting. We would like to thank all applicants for your interest in working as part of our team! Only those applicants selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted.

Southbridge Care Homes welcomes those applicants with disability-related needs and those whom need for accommodation in the recruitment process. Please provide notice of your need for accommodation to the hiring manager upon scheduling of an interview.

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