Healthcare Hygiene magazine June 2023 June 2023 | Page 8

By Rodney E . Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CMSV CM , MBCM , FACSc

Over the past 30 years of my career , I ’ ve navigated multiple degrees and credentials . I often tell my students and colleagues that I consider myself a “ hybrid professional ” due to having one foot firmly planted in public health and the other foot planted in the medical laboratory space . During this professional and personal journey , I ’ ve crossed paths that have often been at the intersection of what I am at my core – an infectious disease specialist in microbiology , public health , and molecular diagnostics . Within these streams of specialization , I have the ongoing perspective of the academic experience as University Distinguished Regents ’ Professor and chair of the Medical Laboratory Science Program , College of Health Professions at Texas State University . I also serve as the associate director of the Translational Health Research Center which collaborates across all our colleges which conduct health related research . To this point , I am now strategically involved in recruiting , preparing , and graduating future healthcare professionals as credentialed medical laboratory scientists ( MLS ).

As I ’ ve navigated my career path , I have continued to recognize that most junior high , high school , and early college students rarely understand the diversity of healthcare , health professions , public health , and medical-related careers . Most students and non-students understand the career paths of patient / public-facing majors such as physicians , nurses , pharmacists , physical therapists , and others . However , what I ’ ve discovered is the total lack of awareness of outstanding college majors ( at all levels of academia – associate , bachelor , master , and doctoral degrees ) that are often hidden from the public ’ s view , and in many instances even high school teachers , advisors , counselors , administrators , early college professors , advisors , and other leaders do not know about these college majors . Unfortunately , many of these college majors have the added issue of major workforce shortages , which exacerbates the problem because the pipeline of future professionals has a significant bottleneck . For example , medical laboratory professionals , respiratory therapists , radiation therapists , infection preventionists , transfusion medicine , in-vitro fertilization specialists , echocardiographer , medical librarian , cytotechnologist , histologist , nuclear medicine technologist , organ and tissue procurement technician , medical examiner technician , and so many others are prime career paths with outstanding financial packages and benefits .

While I ’ ve mentioned many of these hidden professions , I want to focus on the infection preventionist ( IP ) career because this role has intersected my research and teaching passion – infectious diseases and microbiology . In most cases , an infection preventionist is typically a registered nurse or they have a background in epidemiology or microbiology . For example , I have several alumni from our medical laboratory science program who worked in the medical laboratory environment for several years then became an IP . These individuals also picked up graduate degrees , one at the master ’ s level ( infectious diseases ) and the other at the master ’ s and doctoral level ( master ’ s public health and doctorate in health sciences ).

To be clear , some infection preventionists have advanced qualifications , such as a master ’ s degree in public health or epidemiology which may help with advancement and other career opportunities , but it is not required . If you are a nurse or MLS , you must be certified to work in your state . Infection preventionists usually have three to five years of experience working in epidemiology , disease control , or a closely related field . Strong analytical , communication , and research skills , along with advanced computer and statistical literacy , are essential for carrying out the responsibilities of this role .

As mentioned , there are many healthcare professionals who can become an IP , but it merits attention that it ’ s critical that an individual has a strong background in understanding , interpreting , and applying knowledge in infectious diseases as it relates to being a detective in the health environment . For example , a IP must be able to interpret microbiological and medical laboratory results surrounding microbial identification , antibiotic susceptibility data , and molecular diagnostic data as it applies to understanding a hospital outbreak in a particular area ( pediatric , ambulatory , emergency room , long term care , etc .). A credentialed medical laboratory professional has a very strong theoretical and practical education and experiential learning experience in this realm .

While there are many different types of job descriptions for an IP , I will share one from one of my alumni who has worked in this career path . The job title is an associate director , special pathogens program within the department of emergency management with one of the nation ’ s largest municipal healthcare delivery systems overseeing special pathogen preparedness and response efforts across multiple acute care hospitals in addition to post-acute , long-term care , and ambulatory care sites .

Additionally , this position provides subject matter expertise for infection prevention topics within the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center ( NETEC ) and is an advisor for infection prevention for Health + Hospitals Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management . The person provides support , resources , consultation , and training to frontline facilities to bolster their bio preparedness efforts .

As a former IP at an acute-care facility , this individual ’ s efforts focused on hospital-acquired infection surveillance , outbreak investigation , communicable disease exposure prevention , Ebola and pandemic influenza preparedness , and development of infectious disease surveillance guidance for health care workers . The individual has a strong background in microbiology , infectious diseases , and infection prevention , and is board certified in medical laboratory science and infection prevention and epidemiology .

For more information , see : What is an infection preventionist ? Join this fast-growing field and Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology ( CIC ).

Rodney E . Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CM SVCM , MBCM , FACSc , serves as chair and professor of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University . Follow him on Twitter @ RodneyRohde / @ TXST _ CLS , or on his website : http :// rodneyerohde . wp . txstate . edu /

8 june 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com