Developing the Infection Preventionist Across the Healthcare Continuum: Promoting Competency and Advancing Practice
Angel Mueller, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, is the System Infection Prevention Director at UnityPoint Health. Angel has been an Infection Preventionist for 13 years, Certified in Infection Prevention and Control for 11 years and became an APIC Fellow in 2017. She has served as Education Chair and President of the Eastern Iowa APIC Chapter, assisted in planning multiple Iowa State Infection Prevention Conferences and was the recipient of the 2019 Dorothy A. Rasley Iowa State Infection Control Practitioner of the Year Award. She is Chair of the APIC Professional Development Committee, which she has been a member of since 2018. Through her work on the Professional Development Committee, Angel helped develop the updated APIC Competency Model, was a participating author of the article introducing the model, and works to further disseminate the model to Infection Preventionists throughout the world. Angel has also presented at local, state and national conferences and has abstracts and articles published in the Infection and Immunity Journal and the American Journal of Infection Control.
Deb Burdsall has worked in long term care since 1974. She is board certified in infection prevention and control (CIC), and ANCC certified in gerontological nursing. Deb has a PhD in nursing from University of Iowa College of Nursing Deb has been working with congregate care in Illinois to support evidence-based, cost-effective infection prevention strategies for long term care. She is currently a board member for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
Lisa Caffery, MS, BSN, RN-BC, CIC, FAPIC is the Infection Prevention Coordinator at Genesis Health System in Davenport, IA. She is a member of the American Nurses’ Association, Iowa Nurses’ Association (immediate past president), Sigma Theta Tau, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, INC, and Eastern Iowa Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences on infection prevention and control.
Ms. Caffery is currently a member of the APIC Board of Directors serving as a director at-large, the past chair of the APIC Professional Development Council, and served as a member of the APIC Competency Revision Task Force. She is a clinical editor for the APIC Text-On-line, and as a contributing author to the Certification Study Guide. She maintains certification in Infection Prevention and Control through CBIC and in Medical-
Surgical Nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2016, she received recognition as an APIC Fellow.
Other honors:
• 2007 100 Great Iowa Nurses,
• 2012 Dorothy A. Rasley, Iowa Infection Control, Practitioner of the Year Award,
• 2019 APIC Chapter Leader Award,
• 2020 Genesis Health System Legend award
• 2022 Heart of Healthcare Award
Developing the Infection Preventionist Across the Healthcare Continuum: Promoting Competency and Advancing Practice
This session is designed to introduce the Infection Preventionist in all practice settings to the APIC Competency Model. The presentation will describe how attendees can advance from Novice to Expert and achieve certification based on work setting and long-term career goals. Competency domains included in each of the conference presentations will support just-in-time use of the model for professional development and progress toward certification or maintenance of certification.
At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe the APIC Competency Model for the Infection Preventionist.
- Individualize a professional development path from Novice to Expert.
- Identify certifications applicable to work setting and career goals.