Infection prevention is an essential health care domain. The pandemic put our work on the main stage for a while, and many people are looking for a way into this crucial career. Sadly, the professionals who help bedside staff safeguard patients from avoidable harm work in a landscape shaped by high regulatory expectations, performance pressure, and a shortage of human and other resources.

Rumi’s observation that “Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure”¹ captures the spirit of a new podcast dedicated to exploring staffing in infection control and patient safety, especially for professionals whose expertise is not defined by a nursing license.

The Safety Spectrum podcast² is the hopeful treasure borne of a phase of ruin in my life. I brought all my experience and credentials to bear on infection preventionist (IP) job openings, but I found myself wanting for a lack of nursing credentials. There could be many other reasons I was not selected; I know I am not a perfect candidate. However, the few who provided feedback preferred nurses.

In retrospect, I wish I could have asked why. I shared my pain with my friend. Her LinkedIn post and article were very well received by others in similar situations. There was a swell of conversation on the topic, and it sparked something in me.

IP According to Regulatory Organizations

Although nursing has historically shaped the infection prevention field, the modern IP team is intentionally multidisciplinary. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), facilities must designate 1 or more individuals as IPs responsible for the infection prevention and control program. CMS defines the IP as an individual with primary training in nursing, medical technology, microbiology, epidemiology, or another related field, who is qualified by education, training, experience, or certification, and has completed specialized training in infection prevention and control.³ The CDC uses a similar definition in their “Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings document,”⁴ another foundational document in IP practice. These definitions make it clear that infection prevention is not intended to be a discipline exclusively for nurses. Other backgrounds are admissible, especially if they have training in infection prevention and control. This CMS definition is adapted by The Joint Commission, Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Quad A, and other accreditation agencies.

IP According to Market Forces

However, the job market tells a very different story. Many IP job postings continue to require or prefer a nursing license, despite CMS’s multidisciplinary definition. This hiring pattern persists even as the field undergoes significant demographic and educational shifts. It is slow to change even in the face of staffing shortages, an increase in interest, and an increase in infection control-specific training and certification options.

The most comprehensive data on the IP workforce comes from the APIC MegaSurvey, published in the American Journal of Infection Control. The 2025 survey revealed that while 82% of IPs had a nursing background in both 2015 and 2020, that proportion dropped to 68% in 2025.⁵ This decline reflects a growing influx of professionals from microbiology, public health, epidemiology, and laboratory science—fields explicitly recognized by CMS as appropriate for the IP role.

At the same time, the field faces profound staffing challenges. APIC’s staffing research shows that nearly 80% of hospitals operate with lower-than-expected infection prevention staffing levels, creating vulnerabilities in prevention, surveillance, outbreak response, and staff education.⁶ When organizations restrict hiring to nurses alone, they worsen these shortages, especially when facilities are also struggling with nursing workforce constraints.⁷

How to Rebuild Our Ranks

This is where the podcast enters the conversation. It is a space for discussion about IP staffing, nursing preference, and how people are working through that impediment. The Safety Spectrum podcast elevates the full spectrum of infection prevention professionals - nurses, laboratorians, epidemiologists, microbiologists, public health practitioners, sterile processing staff, physicians, and others who contribute to patient safety every day. It explores the regulatory landscape, workforce challenges, and the lived experiences of IPs who entered the field through nontraditional pathways. It also examines how organizations can align their hiring practices with CMS’s multidisciplinary definition and expand the pipeline of qualified (or trainable) professionals.

Psychologist Viktor Frankl is attributed with the statement, “What is to give light must endure burning.”⁸ I think this resonates deeply with the infection prevention community. IPs endure the “burning” of surveillance, reporting, surveys, regulatory scrutiny, and the emotional weight of preventing harm in complex environments. Yet they continue to give light by showing up, desiring to protect patients, guide staff, and shape safer health care systems.

On a personal level, this quote represents my desire to improve our profession. The Safety Spectrum podcast shines some light on the realities of IPs’ career paths and how we can make things better for the next generation. Episodes feature conversations about:

• The evolving identity of the IP
• The value of certification
• Innovations in training, onboarding, and professional development
• How CMS regulations should shape hiring and staffing models
• Why multidisciplinary expertise strengthens patient safety
• The alignment of IP competencies and existing academic curricula
• The human beings that work in infection prevention and quality and patient safety departments

Rumi’s reminder that treasure can be found in ruin speaks to the opportunity before us. The challenges in infection prevention, including staffing shortages, burnout, and regulatory complexity, are devastating. But within them lies the potential to rebuild the field into one that is more inclusive, more resilient, and better aligned with the diverse expertise required to collaborate with diverse health care facility departments to keep staff and patients safe.

References

1. Michigan Safety Conference. Podcasts. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://michsafetyconference.org/podcast-2/
2. Rūmī J al-D. The Essential Rumi. Translated by Barks C. HarperCollins; 1995.
3. 42 CFR § 483.80—Infection control. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-G/part-483/subpart-B/section-483.80
4. Infection Prevention and Control: Core Practices. CDC. US Department of Health and Human Services; 2023.
5. Davis J, et al. A decade of change: Comparative findings from the 2015, 2020, and 2025 APIC MegaSurveys on the infection prevention workforce. Am J Infect Control. 2026.
6. Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Infection Preventionist Staffing Challenges and Recommendations. White paper. APIC; 2023.
7. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Epidemiologists; Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists; Registered Nurses. US Department of Labor; 2024. Accessed April 20, 2026.
8. Frankl VE. “What is to give light must endure burning.” Commonly attributed quotation cited in logotherapy literature.