Careers

Description:

The Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) is a University administrative department that assists organizational units in meeting their responsibility to protect the environment and to provide a safe and healthful place for employment and learning.  The Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) is part of Campus Preventive Health (CPH). This Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) Specialist position sits within the EH&S organization’s Campus Preventative Health (CPH) section, and structurally reports to the HSIP Nurse Manager. This Program Operations Specialist position is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring processes to ensure student compliance with immunizations and TB screening in accordance with CDC guidelines for healthcare workers, University of Washington policy, and federal, state, and local regulations. HSIP ensures compliance with immunization requirements for the University’s health sciences graduate and professional program practicum trainings.  These programs include medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation medicine, laboratory medicine, physician assistant, social work, public health, and speech and hearing sciences.

This position is also responsible for developing and implementing communications of immunization and TB screening requirements to students and staff in participating health sciences programs.  This includes policy management, webpage management, presentations, webinars, and direct email communications.

This position will work with a third party vendor, CastleBranch, to develop instructions for students and CastleBranch reviewers for submission and review of medical records.  This position will also be responsible for developing standard operating procedures, developing and maintaining a records management policy, compiling and analyzing program metrics, and communicating health related information to students and staff in the health sciences schools.
Additional responsibilities for this position include management of payments related to treatment of student exposures, assisting with management of the HSIP budget, and managing user permissions for access to CastleBranch HSIP accounts.

This position must exercise significant judgement and discretion in the interpretation and application of federal, state, local regulations and university policies and protocols.  This position requires extensive knowledge and application of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization recommendations for healthcare personnel, the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination and infection, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) best practice guidelines.  This position must interface effectively with EH&S colleagues, Health Sciences Academic Program leaders, faculty and academic personnel, staff, students, and EH&S partners including the office of Student Life, Registrar’s Office, Human Resources, and UW Medicine.

This position is critical for partnering with UW health sciences schools and programs to ensure compliance with health sciences program’s practicum training affiliation agreements for immunization, titer, and TB screening requirements. In addition, this position will assist with development and implementation of processes for current and emerging immunization requirements for COVID-19 and other potential communicable diseases in the future.  This position is required to protect the health and safety of health sciences students, staff, and individuals at UW affiliated practicum training sites. 

• Bachelor’s degree
• 2 years’ accumulated professional experience
• Knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Able to make decisions based on sound public health guidance and utilize knowledge gained from evidence-based research, confidence in professional abilities.
• Demonstrated teamwork, client service, decision-making skills, ability to foster collegial and cooperative relationships with co-workers and clients.
• Attention to detail as well as strong written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrate excellent organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize daily tasks.
• Able to learn new software and computer applications.
• Able to work a flexible schedule, as need to accommodate program fluctuations.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Desired:

• Experience working in public health, adult immunization practice, or related field.
• Experience supporting a compliance program.
• Extensive or current knowledge of immunization practices set forth by the CDC and the ACIP, including scheduling, routes of administration, and contraindications.
• Recent experience in childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization practices.
• Experience in the nursing field with current license as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse in Washington.
• Experience in data management systems.
• Experience with infection control and/or communicable disease control.