INFECTION PREVENTION Impressive performance by Kara Nadeau Photo credit: Mike Fouque |
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refl ected inside pandemic 2021 Salary Survey: COVID-19 unable to stem professional progress
hat a difference a year can make. According to the results of the 2021 Healthcare Purchasing News Infection Prevention Salary Survey, the average annual salary for a U.S. infection preventionist (IP) is $95,752, an 11 percent increase ($9,700 more) over the average reported pay of $86,052 in 2020. Although higher pay can come at a price. During the past 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPs report taking on additional roles and responsibilities and working longer hours while struggling with staff shortages and high patient volumes.
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“COVID-19 has been a ruthless adversary and profound reminder that we must work in earnest every single day to inculcate best and effective principles of infection control and prevention,” said Fatima R. Muriel, MT (ASCP), CIC, Infection Preventionist, Women & Infants’ Hospital, Providence, R.I. “IPs have endured the fi ght day to day, making sure we bring education and timely and accurate information to key stakeholders for the protection of patients and healthcare workers.”
Fatima R. Muriel
2021 Snapshot
This year’s composite IP is female, and she is 54 years old. Her title is Infection reventionist, and she is certifi ed by the ertifi cation Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC). She reports to the Vice President/Director, Quality/Risk Management/Chief uality ffi cer. She has been in infection prevention an average of 17 years and has worked at her current facility for 12 years. She is employed at a nonprofi t, standalone hospital with beds. There are three employees in her department.
Most IPs see pay rise, at many levels When examining pay raises by position, the following titles reported the most signifi cant leaps in compensation Infection reventionists , in , up from , in , a 22% increase
Infection reventionontrol oordinator , in , up from $74,444 in 2020, a 19% increase
Infection revention Directors , in , up from , in , a increase “Since entering the IP profession nine years
ago, I have definitely seen the compensation for IPs improve,” said Brenda L. Bassett, MBA, MLS(ASCP), CPHQ, CIC, Infection Prevention Practitioner II, Epidemiology Department, who works for a large healthcare system in the Dallas Fort Worth area. “I think Value-Based Purchasing
has really helped to enhance the value an IP brings to the table since a large chunk of reimbursement to healthcare providers is tied to the reduction and elimination of hospital-acquired infections.” Those holding the position of Infection Prevention Manager report a less than 1% increase, with an average annual salary of $99,655 in 2021, up from $98,880 in 2020. The same holds true for Infection revention urses, with an average salary of , in , up less than 1% in 2020 at $79,614.
There were too few respondents in the Infection Prevention Prac-
titioner, Employee Health, Quality/Risk Management and Educator categories to accurately report on 2021 salaries in these positions. The vast majority of respondents (96%) were female, with an average yearly salary of $95,755, compared with men (4%) at $91,687 annually, the remainder of respondents (2%) chose not to reveal their gender.
A secure profession with increased recognition The number of IPs who feel their jobs are “very secure” was up, at in compared with in . n additional of respondents feel their jobs are “somewhat secure.” Those who feel “somewhat insecure” or “very insecure” in their positions changed little, at 9% in 2021, compared with 10% in 2020. “There is job security in this role due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state health department reporting requirements,” said Jessica L. Swain, MBA, MLT, CIC, Senior Infec- tion Preventionist, Regional Resource, Quality Assurance and Safety, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Lebanon, N.H. “Addition- ally, many infection preventionists work in dual roles with numerous responsibilities.” Recruiter websites are full of open IP positions and interim positions, according to Andrea Harper, MS, MLS, CIC, CPPS, CPHQ, Infection Control Manager, LRGHealthcare, in Laconia, N.H. She notes that IPs who are willing to travel or relocate often have an opportunity to increase their salaries. Harper also points out that IP burnout is extremely high, with many IPs retiring early because of the strain of the pandemic. “When COVID hit, it felt like 200% of your job was dedicated to COVID infection prevention/communicable disease reporting and emergency preparedness mitigation strategies,” Harper commented. “I see job postings listed often and it sometimes takes months to
Jessica L. Swain
Brenda L. Bassett
20 May 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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fi ll positions, assett added. The need for experienced Is is great but the supply is limited since it is a fairly niche specialty within the healthcare world and takes quite a bit of time to become familiar with all aspects of an IP’s role and obtain competence in all facets of infection prevention.”
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