The Future of Infection Prevention: Implementing an Accelerated Summer Internship Program

Session Description: One of the biggest obstacles to hiring Infection Preventionists (IPs) is finding those who have a foundational knowledge of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) principles. Numerous programs in the healthcare field offer comprehensive internship initiatives aimed at students interested in healthcare careers, yet only a few of these programs are designed specifically for those aspiring to enter the field of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Furthermore, the lack of a formal tool available to help students understand and learn the fundamentals of IPC presents a barrier to effective learning. Recently, The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) developed an Accelerated Internship program guide that provides a framework in which students can use as a tool to obtain IPC experience.

Our system IPC department successfully piloted this 10-week internship program in the summer of 2023. Two graduate students and one undergraduate student who expressed interest in IPC were interviewed and selected for this pilot program. The students were expected to follow the APIC Accelerated Internship Program Guide as a part of their university program’s applied practice experience. The students worked with IPs at each of the five inpatient, acute care hospitals, and ambulatory locations in our nonprofit healthcare system. Based on the APIC Accelerated Internship Program framework, the students were able to meet their university’s program deliverables while gaining extensive insight into the career of an Infection Preventionist. Additionally, students were given several opportunities to work with other key stakeholders in the healthcare system whose work aligns closely with IPC. This presentation will discuss the internship program we piloted at our system healthcare organization using the APIC Accelerated Internship Program framework. We will review and discuss the successes, barriers, implementation practices, and lessons learned.