Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Infection Control Practitioner

🎯 Role Definition

The Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) is a clinical and operational leader responsible for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), implementing evidence-based infection prevention and control practices, conducting surveillance and outbreak investigations, and ensuring regulatory compliance across acute care, ambulatory, or long-term care settings. The ICP collaborates with nursing, physicians, microbiology, environmental services, quality, and leadership to reduce infection risk, optimize patient safety, and report outcomes to internal and external stakeholders (e.g., NHSN/CDC, public health, Joint Commission). This role typically requires clinical background (RN, MPH, or equivalent), applied epidemiology skills, and proven experience translating guidelines into practice.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Registered Nurse (RN) with clinical experience in acute care, ICU, or perioperative services
Clinical Microbiologist or Laboratory Supervisor moving into infection prevention
Public Health Specialist or Epidemiologist with healthcare exposure

Advancement To:

Infection Prevention Manager / Director of Infection Prevention and Control
Director of Quality & Patient Safety
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) or Clinical Operations Director with focus on safety and compliance

Lateral Moves:

Quality Improvement Specialist
Antimicrobial Stewardship Coordinator
Occupational Health Program Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead facility-wide infection prevention and control programs by developing, implementing, and continuously improving evidence-based policies, procedures, and standard operating practices to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and improve patient safety outcomes.
Conduct active HAI surveillance using standardized definitions (CDC/NHSN; local public health criteria), analyze infection rates, generate regular dashboards and trend reports, and present findings to clinical leadership and infection control committees.
Perform outbreak detection and investigation: rapidly assess clusters, coordinate case finding, implement containment strategies (cohorting, enhanced PPE, environmental cleaning), and communicate with public health authorities and internal stakeholders.
Design, deliver, and evaluate targeted education and training programs for clinical staff, ancillary services, and leadership on hand hygiene, PPE use, isolation precautions, aseptic technique, and device-associated infection prevention (e.g., CLABSI, CAUTI, VAP, SSI).
Oversee surveillance and reporting of device- and procedure-associated infections (central line, urinary catheter, ventilator, surgical site), ensure accurate NHSN/CDC submission, and respond to data validation/queries from regulatory agencies.
Perform regular infection prevention risk assessments across clinical areas (emergency department, ICU, OR, dialysis, oncology), identify gaps, and implement mitigation plans with measurable timelines and outcome metrics.
Collaborate with Microbiology/Lab to interpret culture and susceptibility data, optimize specimen collection practices, and integrate laboratory surveillance into HAI tracking and outbreak response.
Lead multidisciplinary response teams for novel pathogens (e.g., respiratory viral surges, C. difficile, MDROs), create surge plans, and adapt PPE and isolation practices according to evolving CDC/WHO guidance.
Manage environmental infection control activities: monitor cleaning and disinfection practices, ATP/fluorescent marker audits, sterilization and reprocessing compliance, and coordinate remediation for construction/renovation infection risks.
Serve as subject matter expert for regulatory readiness: prepare for Joint Commission and CMS surveys, implement corrective action plans for deficiencies, and maintain documentation demonstrating compliance with infection prevention standards.
Develop and monitor performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for infection prevention (e.g., infection rates per 1,000 device-days, hand hygiene compliance, isolation adherence) and lead quality improvement initiatives to achieve targets.
Design and maintain infection prevention-related policies for safe patient placement, visitor policies, occupational exposures, employee health screening, and return-to-work protocols for staff with infectious exposures.
Coordinate occupational health and employee vaccination initiatives (influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis B), track staff immunization status, manage exposure follow-up, fit-testing programs, and ensure worker safety during infectious disease events.
Support antimicrobial stewardship activities by reviewing antibiotic use trends, participating in formulary and guideline development, and collaborating with pharmacy to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial exposure and resistance.
Use electronic health records (EHR) and surveillance software (NHSN, Epic infection prevention modules, Theradoc, MedMined) to automate case finding, extract data, validate alerts, and support data-driven decision making.
Lead or participate in multidisciplinary committees (Infection Control Committee, Prevention Task Forces) to align clinical practice with up-to-date guidance, review sentinel events, and approve policy changes.
Conduct routine infection control audits (isolation precautions, hand hygiene, sterile field maintenance, line care) and create action plans with frontline managers to remediate deficiencies and monitor compliance improvements.
Prepare and deliver clear, timely communication to staff, patients, families, and public health partners during outbreaks or high-risk situations; draft situation reports and post-exposure advisories with actionable guidance.
Evaluate and implement new infection prevention technologies and products (e.g., UV disinfection, antimicrobial surfaces, barrier precautions) including cost-benefit analysis and pilot program oversight.
Lead patient safety investigations related to HAIs, perform root cause analysis (RCA), and drive corrective actions while documenting outcomes and sharing lessons learned across units.
Maintain current knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines (CDC, WHO, OSHA, NHSN, Joint Commission) and proactively revise policies to remain in compliance and address emerging pathogens.

Secondary Functions

Provide consultative support to ambulatory clinics, long-term care components, and offsite services to standardize infection prevention practices across the health system.
Support research and quality improvement projects by collecting infection-related data, participating in protocol design, and collaborating with academic partners when applicable.
Assist with procurement decisions for PPE, disinfectants, and sterile supplies by developing specifications and participating in vendor evaluations to ensure efficacy and regulatory compliance.
Mentor and precept junior infection prevention staff, nursing students, and clinical educators in surveillance methodology, outbreak management, and IPC best practices.
Participate in community outreach and patient education initiatives to promote vaccination, safe care practices, and public awareness of infection prevention strategies.
Maintain inventory of infection prevention program documentation, training logs, competency records, and archived data to support audits and accreditation activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Infection prevention and control program development and management
HAI surveillance and reporting (CDC/NHSN, local public health reporting)
Outbreak investigation and containment (case finding, contact tracing, cohorting)
Clinical epidemiology and applied data analysis (rate calculations, trend analysis, statistical process control)
Electronic surveillance tools and EHR integration (Theradoc, MedMined, Epic IP modules, NHSN import/export)
Knowledge of regulatory standards: Joint Commission, CMS, OSHA, CDC, WHO
Sterilization, disinfection, and environmental infection control (cleaning audits, reprocessing standards)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) program management and respiratory protection (fit testing)
Antimicrobial stewardship collaboration and principles of antimicrobial resistance
Microbiology fundamentals: specimen collection, culture interpretation, susceptibilities
Policy, procedure, and protocol development with version control and change management
Root cause analysis, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), and corrective action plans
Quality improvement methodologies (PDSA, Lean, Six Sigma basics)
Immunization program coordination and occupational exposure management
Use of data visualization and reporting tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau) for KPI dashboards

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication tailored to clinical and non-clinical audiences
Strong leadership and influencing skills to drive behavior change across disciplines
Collaboration and stakeholder management with multidisciplinary teams
Critical thinking, problem solving, and rapid decision-making during outbreaks
Teaching and coaching skills to build frontline competency and sustainment
Attention to detail and high degree of accountability for compliance documentation
Emotional intelligence and resilience under high-pressure, time-sensitive conditions
Project management and ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Microbiology, Epidemiology, or related health science. For non-RN candidates, evidence of clinical exposure or relevant public health experience is expected.

Preferred Education:

Master of Public Health (MPH), MSN with an infection prevention focus, or Master’s in Epidemiology.
Certification in Infection Control (CIC) strongly preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nursing (Adult, Critical Care, Perioperative)
Public Health / Epidemiology
Microbiology / Clinical Laboratory Science
Health Administration / Quality & Patient Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of direct infection prevention experience in acute care, ambulatory surgical centers, long-term care, or public health; or 3–7 years clinical experience (RN) with progressive responsibility in infection control.

Preferred:

3+ years of dedicated infection prevention experience with demonstrated success in HAI reduction and surveillance.
Proven experience with NHSN reporting, outbreak investigations, and regulatory survey readiness.
Prior experience leading multidisciplinary initiatives, implementing IP technology solutions, and mentoring staff.
Active healthcare licensure where applicable (e.g., RN) and CIC or willingness to obtain CIC within 1–2 years.

Keywords: Infection Control Practitioner, infection prevention, HAI surveillance, outbreak management, CDC/NHSN reporting, hand hygiene, PPE, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control policy, clinical epidemiology, healthcare-associated infections, Joint Commission, patient safety, sterile processing, occupational health.