Serves as infection preventionist (IP) at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. Incumbent provides expertise in the various fields of the infection control areas such as: 1) Identification of infectious disease processes, 2) surveillance and epidemiologic investigation, 3) prevent/control transmission of infectious agents, 4) program management when assigned, and 5) infection control education, 6) Process evaluation of Reusable Medical Equipment disinfection process.

Duties

Duties includes but are not limited to: Develops requisite policies and procedures for effective implementation of the infection control program and reviews care line/division policies and procedures to ensure compatibility with the infection control program. The work involves global coordination including administrative responsibilities, patient care management, performance/education and hospital wide environment of care inspections. Serves as a member of the Infection Control Committee and will be primarily responsible of performance and review of required monthly reports such as hospital acquired infection Statistics, HIV Reports, Transmissible Diseases and others. Functions as a professional consultant to all Services, Facilities and Clinics, who may have direct or indirect bearing on the transmission, prevention and control of infections. Will serve as a member of the Environmental, Construction, Quality and Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) Rounds Team, and be responsible for identification of environmental, sanitation, and patient care practice issues that pose an infection threat to patients, visitors and staff. Will be responsible of integration of services for veterans with identified or suspect infectious diseases or infected with drug resistant organisms. Will identify patients requiring isolation and ensure that they are placed in the appropriate type of isolation. Coordinates facility TB Control Plan. The position includes managing of the Immunology Case Registry Program, Hepatitis C Program, Clinical surveillance software, CPRS, VISTA and others. Provides and coordinates educational programs for all professional and non-professional staff related to infection prevention and control. Will assist all departments in maintaining appropriate standards for infection control. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Science Specialist/PD01020A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/29/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): Education Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. This position has a Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Must be proficient in spoken Spanish. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement and Language Proficiency requirement, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Overseeing new employee orientation and annual training for assigned employees; monitor research study adherence to protocols and quality control parameters; establishing processes, and ensuring compliance with directive related to the program; assist with identifying barriers to the achievement of quality improvement in infection control, and hospital accreditation standards; and assist in developing educational brochures and/or information sheets to better educate patients, visitors, and staff on current issues. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Master's degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsComputer SkillsEducation and TrainingInfection ControlPlanning and Evaluating Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work has varied requirements and the incumbent must be able to meet diverse physical demands of the work environment, including long walking tours of the entire facility or rounds, surveillance, and inspections, along with problem solving and consultation as the need arises whether on the wards, community-based outpatient clinics, Community Living Centers, outpatient clinics, laboratory, surgery, construction areas, or on the grounds. Incumbent will be required to perform tasks that include fine hand manipulation (keyboard), viewing computer monitors during long hours and sitting. Some bending and lifting about the shoulders will be required of less than five pounds. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: Necory Smith
• Phone: 608-372-3971 X63901
• Email: [email protected]