Infection Prevention and Control Program and Process Improvement Subject Matter Expert (SME) Consultant
The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is seeking applications from a consultant(s) interested in serving as a subject matter expert (SME) for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded project on infection prevention and control.
Complete the form below to submit your resume and credentials for consideration. For questions, contact Jolie Crowder @ jcrowder@ncuih.org.
Deadline September 14, 2020
The Infection Prevention and Control Program and Process Improvement SME will provide consultation to Urban Indian Organization (UIO) health care and other frontline staff in the assessment, implementation, and improvement of successful infection prevention and control programs and practices in outpatient clinic settings including subject matter expertise on SAR-COV-2 management, in support of NCUIH’s CDC Project Firstline.
The goal of Project Firstline is to provide core and advanced training for all UIO staff, including but not limited to: infection preventionists, infection prevention and control team or committee members, health center leaders, clinical educators, nurses, physicians, physician extenders, environmental service staff, behavioral health staff, community health and outreach staff, and potentially directly to urban American Indian and Alaska Native community members. Planned training content is at present focused on management and control of respiratory illnesses, including SARS-COV-2.
As part of this work, NCUIH aims to provide support to member organizations to promote sustainable systematic improvements in infection prevention and control efforts, progressing towards a culture of safety. Members provide a spectrum of primarily outpatient services including full ambulatory services (medical, dental, behavioral health, etc.), limited ambulatory (limited hours), outreach and referral services only, and residential treatment centers.
The project period is July 31, 2020 July 31, 2021.
This is anticipated to be a time and materials contract mechanism, unless a specified scope of work is identified and agreed upon.
No specific work is implied or guaranteed, and specific activities and deliverables will be determined based on technical assistance needs of member organizations over the course of the project. Potential SME activities may include:
• Participation in a series (or selection) of virtual infection prevention and control training sessions to be hosted by NCUIH for all UIO frontline staff, slated to begin Fall of 2020.
• Participation and support of a small collaborative of UIO “Champions”. Tentative related tasks of UIO collaborative members include conducting a formal assessment of infection prevention and control programs and policies, developing a project or QI initiative focused on one aspect of infection prevention and control, seeking certification in infection prevention and control, and developing a training agenda for internal staff.
• Providing technical assistance via phone, email or virtual meeting 1:1 for UIO members who require additional assistance within the SMEs area of expertise as requested by NCUIH staff.
Project activities, trainings and collaboratives are anticipated to include substantive participation from experts from CDC with experience in infection prevention and control practices, however the expectation is the SME is available as an adjunct on an as needed basis to more rapidly and effectively meet the needs of NCUIH members.
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated expertise in infection prevention and control programs in an outpatient clinic setting, is tech savvy, able to efficiently and independently multi-task across multiple professional communications and training platforms, and enjoy working virtually with a small but rapidly growing mission-driven organization.
Requirements and Qualifications:
• Demonstrated expertise in infection prevention and control practices, policies, and programs is required.
• Current certification in infection prevention and control is strongly preferred.
• Experience working or consulting in infection prevention and control in an ambulatory setting is required.
• Demonstrated expertise in SARS-COV-2 infection prevention and control program and practice management is required.
• Current health care provider licensing/ credentialing or recent experience as a health care provider such as a nurse, physician, community health outreach worker is required.
• Polished verbal communication skills required.
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse groups of people, including American Indians and Alaska Natives is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with Indian Health Services, Tribal Health Systems, or Urban Indian Organizations is preferred.
• Preference given to candidates who are American Indian or Alaska Native.