Infection control in nursing is an important job and is becoming more important all the time as we are learning more and more about how infections are spread from one person or location to another. Every nurse needs to learn as much about infection control as possible and then they need to take what they have learned and incorporate it into their every day nursing practice.
Infection control nursing is all about identifying, controlling, and preventing outbreaks of any sort of infection in the healthcare setting as well as in the community. Nurses that choose to work specifically in infection control will collect and analyze infection control information, they will also plan and implement infection prevention and control measures.
Infection control nursing is all about education, so as a nurse who focuses on infection control you may be called on to educate other individuals about the risk of infection, how to prevent infection, and how to control it. The nurse may also be involved in investigating suspected outbreaks, consultation on risk assessment, and implementing control strategies. Nurses in this area of expertise often work with those who have HIV or AIDS, TB, scabies, and more.
A nurse who wants to make a career out of infection control practices will be able to work with collaborative relationships. This is usually a high profile position that involves patient contact, with an emphasis on educating and research. Nurses interested in this area may find roles as an infection control nurse, a nurse manager, supervisor, patient contact, and you may even have teaching and consulting options.
Infection control nurses, or those who would like to specialize in infection control, should be a registered nurse or RN. There are many settings in which an infection control nurse could work such as a hospital, long term medical facilities, home care, and more. When you are good at infection control your abilities can take you just about anywhere you want to go with your nursing career.