Patricia Jackson RN, MA, CIC, FAPIC
Pat Jackson is the 2024 Immediate Past President of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.  She is the Director of Infection Prevention at White Rock Medical Center in Dallas, TX.   She has been an infection preventionist for the past 30 years. She has worked in both adult and pediatric healthcare facilities but considers pediatrics to be her area of expertise. She most recently served APIC in elected roles as Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors. Pat’s passion is mentoring new IPs.   She served as an original author on APICs Roadmap for the Novice Infection Preventionist and spent many years as a faculty member to APICs epidemiology training courses.  Pat believes we need to attract and retain the next generations of IPs in order to APIC to reach its potential.   Pat spent the majority of her career in large academic teaching hospitals. In 2022 she transitioned to a small community hospital where she became a “one-er”.  She has enjoyed the small town feel of knowing everyone and has a new appreciation for the lone IP.  The lone IP by their very nature becomes a master of everything and often with less than IPs at larger facilities. Pat earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University and has been certified in infection control since 1996. In 2016 she was a member of the inaugural class of APIC fellows.  

Brief Description
Being a “Oner” or Solo Infection Preventionist can be challenging.   In this presentation Pat Jackson will talk about her transition from a large urban academic medical center to becoming the lone IP at a small community hospital.  She will discuss strategies for effectively managing infection prevention programs independently, key resources and tools to enhance efficiencies and how to combat burnout.

Objectives

1. Describe three key strategies for effectively managing infection prevention programs independently within a healthcare setting.
2. Identify key resources and tools to enhance efficiency and facilitate day to day operations of an infection prevention program.
3. Describe the effects of burnout in healthcare personnel and key approaches to mitigate its effects.