Infection preventionists well positioned for C-Suite

Editor's Note

With executive-level turnover and regulatory pressures on the rise, infection preventionists (IPs) should be elevated to executive-level roles to prevent a missed professional opportunity and potential structural weakness in health care governance, according to Deborah Ellis, PhD, MS, MPH, MT(ASCP), CIC, LTC-CIP, CPHQ, FACHE in a November 13 news story in Infection Control Today. Ellis noted that “elevating IPs into executive leadership isn't symbolic; it's a strategic imperative.”

And she shared several reasons why, per the news story, including the fact that over the past 25 years, IPs have transformed from tactical specialists into strategic leaders who think and lead like executives. For example, they analyze complex data, and coordinate work across multidisciplinary environments with stakeholders working in clinical, environmental, engineering, information technology, and supply chain settings.

She further explained that the scope of an IP today encompasses enterprise-wide patient safety, regulatory compliance, change management, public health crisis coordination, and system-wide risk mitigation. Ellis described several important ways that healthcare systems can formalize a leadership track for IPs, including creating vice president or chief infection prevention officer roles, creating succession planning and mentorship programs for IPs, and recruiting IPs with advanced credentials into senior roles.