A Conference Tailor-Made for You

Theres a lot to talk about this month, so lets start with a tip of the hat to all those hard-working individuals out there during the 2006 Infection Prevention Week, Oct. 16-22, 2006. International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) is an annual event that shines the spotlight on educating healthcare workers, healthcare administrators, legislators, and consumers about the importance of reducing the risk of hospital- and community-acquired infections.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) suggests that International Infection Prevention Week is an important opportunity to spread the word about infection prevention through interactive contests, giveaways, and information sessions. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the third week in October as National Infection Control Week and called all federal, state, and local government agencies, health organizations, communications, media, and individuals to take part in educational activities and programs during this designated week. Since its creation, APIC has continued the tradition of celebrating Infection Control Week. Each year, APIC offers a free online toolkit of useful materials and ideas; for more details, go to www.apic.org. 

It is apropos, then, as long as we are saluting ICPs, to announce the ICT Conference on Professional Development, to be held Jan. 24-26, 2007 in Las Vegas. There are many conferences out there that will cover sterilization techniques, methods for boosting handwashing compliance, and the like, but Ill go out on a limb here and assert that there is no other conference that focuses on the professional and personal needs of ICPs, a group of professionals that continues to do even more with less and you know what Im talking about, dont you? You face more demands and expectations than ever before, yet it seems as if your IC program budget never seems to keep pace with those demands.

At our conference, youll learn from industry experts how to make your program or department more viable and more dynamic, as well as share with colleagues what works, what doesnt, and how to improve your overall performance. The ICT Conference on Professional Development is an important way for you to gain new insights and skills to implement into daily practice. The conference is designed to provide expert tools to help you juggle your workloads and succeed on a personal and professional level. The ICT Conference will address the specific needs and issues related to the challenges of working in infection prevention and control in a fast-paced acute-care environment. Celebrate your unique contributions to the field and learn from industry experts who will share with conference participants various ways to:

• Find new value in your infection control department and make a business case for infection prevention 

• Discover how to keep up with mandatory reporting demands and other related IC issues 

• Tap into new sources of creativity for in-service education and IC compliance 

• Explore education and certification opportunities 

• Learn how to do more with less in these harried times 

• Boost your time management and communication skills 

• Discover new strategies for career success 

• Fight stress and be the best you can be 

General sessions, interactive workshops, and panel presentations will allow conference participants to learn from the expert faculty as well as from fellow attendees. The conference will also feature a unique networking and problem-solving Gripe Night for infection prevention professionals, an opportunity to share common issues and seek productive solutions with an expert facilitator bring your problems and leave with solutions!

For more details, please turn to page 39.

Until next month, bust those bugs!

Kelly M. Pyrek
Editor in Chief
kpyrek@vpico.com