The Placement Exchange Job Board

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

We have an outstanding opportunity for a Health Sciences Immunization Program Specialist.

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. 

Duties & Responsibilities

Compliance Efforts

•Develop, implement, and manage the University’s HSIP program effectively, efficiently, and in compliance with federal, state, local, and UW regulations and requirements.
•Ensure that the HSIP program conforms to institutional and department policies and regulations.
•Implement the compliance requirements and follow-up actions using independent judgment and decision making.
•Implement program based on scientific principles, guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and recommendations from Public Health – Seattle & King County.
•Maintain proficiency in the knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization practices.
•Monitor and analyze student compliance of CDC immunizations for health-care professionals. Communicate student non-compliance to health sciences programs and manage registration blocks.
•Manage immunization waiver requests and communication of approved waivers to health sciences programs.
•Responsible for the development and implementation of a records management and retention policy and responsible for management of HSIP program records and meeting materials.
•Manage user permissions for CastleBranch database access and autogenerated compliance reports.
•Responsible for quality analysis and integrity of information maintained in the HSIP database, Castlebranch, the program’s web-based vendor system. This is an essential duty to help ensure compliance with the CDC guidelines and health sciences affiliation agreements with practicum sites.
•Develop and compile program metrics, statistics, measures, reports to evaluate compliance and program performance. Program metrics will be shared internally with EH&S staff and Health Sciences unit leaders.
•In coordination with HSIP Manager, compile and analyze compliance reports for quality assurance.
•As needed, create survey screening tools, facilitate scheduling, and conduct customer satisfaction surveys.

Administrative/Training/Education Functions

•Utilize specialized knowledge of the HSIP program to develop and maintain policies, protocols, and operational procedures for the program.
•Provide coordination, support and collaboration with EH&S departments, the student health center, the UW Employee Health Centers, and across the health sciences programs.
•Manage the coordination of payments for costs related to student exposures.
•Develop/update student and health sciences program information including forms, resource and instructional documents, website content, and emails. Ensure the development and review of content and material on the EH&S and HSIP websites is performed on a routine basis to remain current and accurate.
•Provide education of HSIP requirements and available healthcare resources to students and program partners through webinars, direct in person/phone consultation, and email correspondence as needed. Coordinate other student outreach initiatives with health sciences partners as needed. Facilitate the training and orientation of new health sciences compliance personnel.
•Manage the HSIP email account, and exercise judgement on issues that require a healthcare provider consultation
•Become proficient in the use of CastleBranch database, and the program’s former online electronic record and immunization tracking system.
•Interface with various databases including the State immunization registry, UW Lab medicine, and the UW student database to execute program functions.

Departmental Activities and Other General Responsibilities

•Serve as primary back up to the program manager.
•Participate in HSIP and EH&S meetings and committees as assigned.
•Incorporate strategic planning initiatives from the EH&S Strategic Plan into the section's and position's routine workplan. Support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring of programs to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met and program goals are reached.
•Demonstrate respect for the diversity of health sciences students and staff, as well as for the diversity of HSIP and EH&S staff.
•Demonstrate respect for student rights and maintain privacy and confidentiality according to UW, local, state, and federal requirements.
•Demonstrate accountability for the effectiveness of the Health Sciences Immunization Program.
•Contribute to a positive work environment.
•Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements include:

•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.

Working Environmental Conditions:

•This professional staff position is not overtime-eligible. Full-time schedules are assumed to be at least 40 hours, however, incumbents are expected to remain flexible to accommodate the unit's goals and mission, and to work beyond their normal schedule when necessary. 
•This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule (combination in-office and remote work).


Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.