Forging a Sustainable Frontline: A Model for Infection Prevention Workforce Development

Session Description: The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value and essential role infection preventionists (IPs) play in preventing the spread of disease. Unfortunately, many experienced professionals in this field have left the workforce in recent years, resulting in a severe shortage of IPs across healthcare settings and few options for early career recruitment to the field of infection prevention and control (IPC).

To address the IP workforce crisis, a professional association and state health department have forged a groundbreaking partnership, leveraging IPC workforce development grant funding. This innovative collaboration addresses recruitment, training, and retention of IPs through a suite of three program components designed to build IP capacity in the state of Maryland.

Component One includes conducting educational outreach to geographically and ethnically diverse Maryland colleges and universities to introduce students in a variety of allied health programs, including medical technology, health sciences, nursing, and public health to the field of IPC. The academic partners include universities, community colleges, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities with 2- and 4-year programs.

Component Two includes development and implementation of an IP internship program to support matriculation of professionals into IP roles across diverse settings in the state of Maryland, including acute care, long term care, outpatient, and public health settings.

Component Three includes working with the local chapter of the professional organization to develop and pilot a group IP mentoring program to increase retention, professional development, and exposure to multiple career paths within the IP profession.

This one-year, grant-funded collaboration is believed to be the first program of this scale to focus on IP workforce development and retention, and can serve as a model for other state or territorial jurisdictions.