Recruitment and Hiring Practices in United States Infection Prevention and Control Departments: Results of a National Survey.

Abstract Background Infection prevention is a profession that requires highly specified skills and clinical experience. Infection Preventionists (IPs) direct interventions that protect patients from healthcare-associated infections across clinical and community settings. To enhance the hiring and recruitment of diverse IPs, it is key to understand current recruitment and hiring practices. Methods A national on-line survey was performed with members of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) who participate in the recruitment and hiring of IPs in their organization. Descriptive statistics were calculated for respondent and organizational demographics, IP recruitment strategies and hiring practices. Results In the fall of 2019, 522 APIC members from 101 of 113 APIC chapters (89% chapter response rate) participated in the survey. A vacant IP position was reported by 25% (n = 126) of respondents. Recent IP hires were primarily nurses (70%; n = 346) recruited from outside the organization (54%; n = 270). Online job-boards (e.g., Indeed, Monster) and internal organizational job postings were the most frequently used recruitment strategies. Conclusion The results provide a summary of practices for IP recruitment and hiring that can inform local and national initiatives to increase the number and professional diversity of IPs.