The Golden Road to Ultimate Staffing in Environmental Services

Session Description: Healthcare-based environmental services (EVS) departments faced staffing and budgetary challenges pre-pandemic and the collateral damage of the past 3 years is still being navigated within organizations. These challenges can result in high turnover and ensuing poor performance indicators netting a high-risk environment for transmission of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). This session will detail one organization’s experience with developing a culture within EVS that included front-line feedback and bi-directional communication to optimize workflows and develop career paths and ladders for retention. This session will describe in detail how work system redesign can and should be considered as part of mitigation strategies in staffing or fiduciary crises and how these investments benefit the individual, the EVS program and the organization’s infection prevention efforts to reduce the risk of HAI transmission. The interdepartmental cooperation between infection prevention and EVS and key elements of successful collaboration will be highlighted. The session will provide an overview for professional certification in the EVS space, the individual and organizational requirements and relay how this can serve to elevate the profession, provide career pathing for EVS associates with the potential benefits of increased staff satisfaction and retention.