Director of Nurse Education and Infection Prevention; RN

Director of Nurse Education and Infection Prevention (RN)

Reports To:

Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)

The Nurse Educator and Infection Prevention Nurse is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating nursing education programs and the hospital’s infection prevention and control program. This combined role supports nursing competency, regulatory compliance, patient safety, and infection risk reduction within an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting. The position serves as a clinical educator and infection prevention subject matter expert, with practices tailored to the behavioral health environment.

• Develop, coordinate, and deliver nursing orientation programs for new hires, including hospital policies, procedures, and clinical standards.
• Plan and conduct ongoing education, in‑services, and annual competencies for nursing and designated clinical staff.
• Ensure education supports safe psychiatric care, including de‑escalation techniques, restraint and seclusion practices, suicide risk mitigation, and trauma‑informed care.
• documentation of education activities, competencies, and training completion in accordance with regulatory requirements.

• Assess learning needs and competency gaps through observation, incident trends, performance data, and regulatory findings.
• Support evidence‑based nursing practice and professional development initiatives.
• Provide clinical coaching, mentoring, and guidance to nursing staff and supervisors.
• Assist nursing leadership with remediation plans, skills validation, and performance improvement activities.

• Develop, implement, and maintain the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Program in compliance with CMS, state regulations, and accreditation standards.
• Conduct surveillance for health‑associated infections and communicable diseases relevant to inpatient psychiatric settings.
• Analyze infection data, identify trends, and report findings to nursing leadership and designated committees.
• Conduct infection prevention risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies.

• Develop and maintain infection prevention policies and procedures, including hand hygiene, PPE use, isolation precautions, environmental cleaning, and exposure management.
• Monitor staff compliance with infection prevention practices through audits, rounding, and observation.
• Coordinate responses to infectious disease exposures, outbreaks, and required public health reporting.
• Serve as a liaison with public health authorities as needed.

• Provide education and consultation to staff regarding infection prevention principles and emerging risks.
• Support infection prevention practices that balance patient safety with psychiatric care considerations, including ligature risk and therapeutic milieu needs.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement using just culture principles.

• Support regulatory surveys, accreditation visits, and inspections related to nursing education and infection prevention.
• Participate in nursing, infection control, quality, and safety committees as assigned.
• Collaborate with the Director of Quality and Risk Management on performance improvement initiatives and corrective action plans.
• Assist with follow‑up and monitoring of findings related to education or infection control.

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing required.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.

• Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of employment required.
• Infection prevention or nurse education certification preferred but not required.

• Minimum of two (2) years of clinical  required.
• Behavioral health, psychiatric, or inpatient experience preferred.
• Experience in nursing education, infection prevention, or quality improvement preferred.