Leadership and Professional Development
30/30 Education Session - 30 minutes
Julie Duran Mullica, MPH, CIC
System Infection Prevention Specialist
SCL Health
Broomfield, Colorado
Nothing to disclose
.jpg "Karoline Sperling, MPH, MLS, CIC, FAPIC photo")
Karoline Sperling, MPH, MLS, CIC, FAPIC
Infection Preventionist
Park Nicollet Health Services
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Nothing to disclose
Kelley Knapek, RN, MPH, CIC, CWON
Infection Prevention Specialist
SCL Health Good Samaritan Medical Center
Nothing to disclose
Kelley Knapek, RN, MPH, CIC, CWON
Infection Prevention Specialist
SCL Health Good Samaritan Medical Center
Nothing to disclose
Jessica Strauch, Phd, CIC
Infection Prevention Specialist
Lutheran Medical Center
Lakewood, Colorado
Every IPC program is faced with the never-ending challenge of staffing. From filling empty positions or covering for maternity and other medical leaves, keeping your program on track can be difficult. With many IPs in the field retiring, healthcare systems need to actively prepare for more vacant positions and create innovative solutions to manage staffing uncertainties.
This session will provide a detailed example of how one healthcare system invested in training five current full-time associates, ranging from RNs to laboratory professionals to an exercise physiologist, to become novice IPs in a 20-week training program. Based on the APIC Roadmap, the training program was constructed to provide an in-depth, hands-on experience for each trainee.
These new IPs helped establish a pool of professionals that are then able to flex their hours to meet the IPC needs throughout the system. This program also laid the foundation for a stronger, more resilient IPC program at participating care sites. As a result, care sites doubled their IPC workforce with their trainees taking the knowledge and experience they gained in the program back to their units to lead IPC initiatives.