When Is Enough Enough? Infection Preventionists Confront Work-Life Imbalance

In this final installment of their discussion with Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®), authors of the study, “Quantifying the Progressing Landscape of Infection Preventionists: A Survey-Based Analysis of Workload and Resource Needs” shared their insights on their own work-life imbalance.

The authors are Brenna Doran, PhD, MA, who specializes in hospital epidemiology and infection prevention at the University of California, San Francisco, and is a coach and consultant in infection prevention; Jessica Swain, MBA, MLT, director of infection prevention and control at Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Shanina Knighton, an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing and senior nurse scientist at MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio.

For infection preventionists (IPs), the struggle to balance professional demands with personal well-being remains a defining challenge. As one participant reflected, “It’s a thing, like it really is, and that work life balance, you know…when is enough enough? When do you prioritize self-care?”

The pressures are compounded by the normalization of long hours. “This study shows the fact that IPs are working an average of 43.6 hours. But what does that mean when it comes to work-life balance? What does it mean when it comes to putting out fires, missing your kids’ programs, and doing different things because you have other responsibilities to manage?”

For many, work seeps into home life. “A lot of like bringing your computer home to work, right? And so your kids are watching you do this, and they now think it’s the norm—like mom goes to work, but then mom comes home and she works some more. I don’t want my kids to feel like that is normal.”

The leaders acknowledged that they often model the same behavior they caution their teams against. “IP leaders across the board were working a lot…50, 60 hours a week was pretty standard. And so, you know, IP leaders are working more, I think, to try to protect their staff. But…we are setting unfair expectations. We are requiring things of ourselves that we would never ask of our teams.”

Ultimately, the group agreed self-neglect has become too common. “They’re always focused on the patients, they’re always focused on their work. But they also forget about themselves. And there’s a commendation for that, but there’s also a like, okay, come on, there’s enough.”

Reference

Doran B, Swain J, Knighton S. Quantifying the progressing landscape of infection preventionists: A survey-based analysis of workload and resource needs. Am J Infect Control. 2025;53(6):669-677. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2025.03.012

Watch all the installments of this series:

First: “Quantifying the Pressures”

Second: “Infection Preventionists Under Strain”

Third: “Breaking Down Silos”

Fourth: “From Earthquakes to Rural Shortages”

Fifth: “Invest in Prevention Now”

Sixth: “AI in Infection Prevention”

Seventh: “Infection Preventionists Call for Recognition, Balance and Collaboration”