iP Newbe: A new challenge for an 'old' newbie
A new challenge for an 'old' newbie
Stepping out of the comfort zone
By Patti Grant, RN, BSN, MS, CIC, Infection Preventionist, Addison, TX.
Recently I've chosen a major change in job responsibilities. For the second time I'm the sole Infection Preventionist (IP) for a facility, but this time the realm of 'Quality' is included, and my facility is a 32-bed surgical hospital including a four-bed ICU. It was time to challenge myself to keep learning new approaches to age-old problems surrounding patient safety. Talk about moving out of the comfort zone!
This experience has brought a fresh perspective to the term Newbie as some days I'm feeling like a fish out of water. From a generic standpoint the process improvement portion of this new experience is familiar. After all, IPs were some of the pioneers in healthcare investigations and data presentation from an infectious viewpoint. Despite the similarities, there are new acronyms to learn, including SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Project) and CART (CMS Abstraction and Reporting Tool), just to name a couple. Along with unfamiliar abbreviations are databases I must 'gain access to' for data entry and extraction, all accompanied by a "Specifications Manual" that requires a 4-inch binder to house. The Quality portion of this new job parallels CDC/NHSN, which is familiar and comfortable. Still, I can only hope — soon — these quality-driven databases and definitions will become just this side of routine as well.
This experience is shared in such embarrassing detail because it has challenged me to return to the days of the first iPNewbie column in December 2008 to provide 'in the trenches' advice for the new IP as a mentoring tool. Now I am in the trenches of another aspect of governmental web-based reporting which has acutely reminded me that no matter how proficient we are in our area(s) of expertise, there remains the reality that there is way more that we do not know regarding other topics in healthcare. Please know this is true, though you may forget, and be hard on yourself for 'not knowing everything' about infection prevention and control. This too shall pass.
You will gain expertise as you actively educate yourself through reading, networking, conference attendance, and accessing the resources available through APIC (The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (www.apic.org)). You and others will know you have arrived when you earn your first "CIC" (Certification in Infection Control (www.cbic.org)) and join the ranks of IPs taking a stand for professionalism and strengthening their discipline through formal certification.
That debut column shared the message about a newly dubbed term "Infection Preventionist" which united a 40 year-old discipline so multiple undergraduate and graduate professionals could be encompassed into a single term that actively described a mission in two words. That initial piece also included the offer to share a list of favorite websites I'd accumulated over 20 years of practicing infection prevention and control. Since sharing that list there are many excellent new (free) web-based tools. But I asked myself, as a "new" IP what would I find that could quickly be useful to share the infection prevention message?
So as not to overwhelm, I forced myself to pick only two free resources that are grounded in creditability. The two listed below are easy to use, designed to also include those outside the formal IP occupation, and share a clear message with minimal jargon:
- http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandHygiene/index.html (Hand Hygiene Saves Lives). This resource is a short 'talk' with anyone who is entering the healthcare system so they know to watch and ask their providers to clean their hands before patient care.
- http://www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/hai/training/ (Partnering to Heal: Teaming up against healthcare-associated infections). This is an inter-active learning opportunity to view, and make decisions regarding, infection prevention techniques from the "eyes and thoughts" of a nurse, physician, medical student, IP, and visitor.
These two internet-based resources provide you with many ways to accomplish your infection prevention message for several audiences and without a formal budget. Also, please e-mail me at [email protected] or [email protected] if you'd like that list of 'favorite bookmarks' I've accumulated over the years that make my life easier to access resources quickly.
Recently I've chosen a major change in job responsibilities. For the second time I'm the sole Infection Preventionist (IP) for a facility, but this time the realm of 'Quality' is included, and my facility is a 32-bed surgical hospital including a four-bed ICU. It was time to challenge myself to keep learning new approaches to age-old problems surrounding patient safety. Talk about moving out of the comfort zone!Subscribe Now for Access
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