WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The Infection Preventionist: A Role With Increasing Importance and Impact
By Sara Wildberger
EXPLORING APIC RESOURCES
• To help infection preventionists and consumers quickly access important resources, APIC has curated web pages with information on key infection prevention topics including antimicrobial stewardship, long-term care, and MRSA:
apic.org/resources/ topic-specific-infection-prevention/.
• Two cost calculators are available to estimate costs associated with infections and savings realized through prevention:
apic.org/ resources/cost-calculators/.
T
he Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemi- ology (APIC) is “creating a safer
world through the prevention of infection.” APIC (
apic.org) has approximately 16,000 members across the United States and in 70 countries. They include nurses, physicians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, microbiologists, medical technologists, and more, who daily do everything from crunch- ing and reporting data to developing prac- tices to education. Formed in 1972—and approaching its 50th anniversary—APIC continues to have significant impact as the COVID-19 pan- demic continues, in providing guidance to health care and to the public on infection prevention and the importance of vacci- nation and vigilance to protect vulnerable populations. The organization’s CEO, Devin Jopp,
EdD, MS, has more than two decades in association leadership, including serving
34 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JULY/AUGUST 2021
as CEO of the American College Health Association. At the start of the interview, Jopp recognized the extraordinary efforts made by members of APIC and Argentum and by all those working in senior living: “These have been difficult times for Argen- tum members and our collective community to go through. We appreciate Argentum’s focus on infection prevention as we believe the lessons learned through the pandemic can help us harden our infection prevention efforts together. As much as we hope this is the last pandemic, we all know there are other diseases out there.”
Q. Can you share a few of the big lessons learned from APIC that can apply to senior living? A. While almost all institutions had emer- gency response plans, I don’t think they had been really tested or contemplated to the level of national pandemic. We were think- ing in terms of a flu outbreak, or, in the
• The Quick Observation Tools library (
ipobservationtools.org) presents materials designed to be used in a matter of minutes by anyone working in healthcare; for instance, a checklist for PPE provision.
• The Infection Prevention and You website (infectionprevention
andyou.org) has materials including fact sheets, dos and don’ts posters, and infographics that can be useful in raising awareness and encouraging practices among residents, direct caregivers, and families.
• A step-by-step description of the career path of an infection preventionist gives information on education and certifications: apic. org/professional-practice/roadmap/
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