Job Description

Location: Smithtown, New York

Category: Nursing / Nursing Leadership

Schedule: ['Full Time']

Shift: Day shift

Hours: 8:00A-4:00P

Req ID: 74123

Overview

St. Catherine of Siena Nursing and Rehabilitation and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital are proud members of Catholic Health and have served the residents of the Smithtown area for more than 50 years. St. Catherine's is located on the north shore of Long Island in Smithtown. The campus is comprised of a 240-bed nursing and rehabilitation care center; 296-bed not-for-profit community hospital and a 60,000 square foot medical office building. Our nurses, physicians and support staff are devoted to providing advanced health care in an environment of compassion to our patients, their families and our community. Our Mission is to create an environment of healing and compassion, to offer care to those in need and to provide a spirit of mutual respect while upholding our religious mission.

We are dedicated to providing a supportive environment, committed to the highest standards of patient care, where health care professionals can develop their expertise and strengthen their credentials. Our primary focus is the way we treat and serve our communities. We work collaboratively to provide compassionate care and utilize evidence based practice to improve outcomes – to every resident and patient, every time.

Job Details

Position Summary:

We are seeking a highly motivated, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented Registered Nurse (RN) to serve as our Infection Preventionist in a long-term care and skilled nursing facility.

The Infection Preventionist is responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the facility’s Infection Prevention and Control Program. This position plays a critical role in promoting resident and employee safety, preventing healthcare-associated infections, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting quality improvement initiatives.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong clinical judgment, leadership, communication, and organizational skills, with a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of infection prevention practices.

Required Qualifications:

• Current, unrestricted New York State Registered Nurse (RN) license required.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
• Master’s degree in Nursing, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or a related healthcare field preferred.
• Successful completion of the CDC Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training Course or equivalent CMS-compliant specialized training.
• Must obtain LTC-CIP or CIC professional certification within two years of hire.
• Experience in long-term care, skilled nursing, infection prevention, or a related clinical setting preferred.
• Must obtain recognized Infection Prevention certification within one (1) year of hire. Certification must be appropriate for the long-term care setting and meet applicable regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of CDC, CMS, OSHA, and New York State Department of Health infection prevention standards.
• Strong clinical assessment, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in electronic medical records, data collection, reporting, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with an interdisciplinary healthcare team.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive facility-wide Infection Prevention and Control Program in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Conduct ongoing infection surveillance, identify trends, analyze infection data, and implement appropriate interventions.
• Monitor and investigate suspected or confirmed healthcare-associated infections and communicable disease outbreaks.
• Coordinate outbreak prevention, investigation, management, and reporting in collaboration with facility leadership and public health authorities.
• Ensure compliance with CDC, CMS, OSHA, and NYSDOH infection prevention requirements.
• Oversee implementation and monitoring of standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, and enhanced barrier precautions.
• Provide infection prevention education, training, and competency assessments for nursing staff and other facility personnel.
• Monitor hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization, environmental cleaning, and infection control practices through routine audits.
• Collaborate with the Medical Director, Director of Nursing, nursing leadership, and interdisciplinary team to promote appropriate antibiotic use and support the facility’s Antibiotic Stewardship Program.
• Coordinate employee infection prevention initiatives, including exposure management and immunization monitoring, in collaboration with Employee Health.
• Participate in Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) activities and develop corrective action plans as indicated.
• Maintain accurate infection surveillance records, reports, and documentation.
• Participate in regulatory surveys, infection control inspections, and development of plans of correction as necessary.
• Serve as a clinical resource and subject matter expert regarding infection prevention and control practices.
• Remain current with evolving evidence-based infection prevention guidelines, regulations, and best practices.
• Demonstrates CHS core values/behaviors, Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence in practice.
• Shows initiative in assuming other duties within the scope of the position.
• Collaborates with unit managers and supervisors regarding care needs.
• Performs other duties within scope as directed.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) in the ongoing review, development, maintenance, and updating of facility policies and procedures to ensure compliance with current federal and state regulations, evidence-based practices, and professional standards of care. Ensure policies remain current, accurate, and consistent with facility operations and regulatory requirements.
• Adheres to all organizational policies and procedures.

Salary Range

USD $125,000.00 - USD $140,000.00 /Yr.

This range serves as a good faith estimate and actual pay will encompass a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience. The salary range or rate listed does not include any bonuses/incentive, differential pay or other forms of compensation that may be applicable to this job and it does not include the value of benefits.

At Catholic Health, we believe in a people-first approach. In addition to the estimated base pay provided, Catholic Health offers generous benefits packages, generous tuition assistance, a defined benefit pension plan, and a culture that supports professional and educational growth.