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As a public health nurse, I was responsible for rotating through the typical public health clinics such as
immunizations, sexually transmitted diseases, women/infant/children (WIC), and a rural health clinic.
I was also responsible for investigating communicable disease reports including outbreak situations.
As part of my communicable disease investigator role, I was introduced to the public health principles
of epidemiology and took part in training programs related to this that were provided by the State of
Missouri. Using this knowledge, I was always on alert for potential outbreaks. This was slightly difficult
during those times as the epidemiological tools that we have today were either not available at that
time or were cost-prohibitive. My interest in epidemiology and communicable diseases only grew as
I learned more about the field. My experiences in public health nursing set the stage for an eventual
career as an Infection Preventionist.

In February, 2006, I interviewed for an Infection Control Coordinator position at the same local hospital
where I began my nursing career. I am proud to say that I have been the lead Infection Preventionist
at a 288 bed hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, ever since. The five years that I was away saw
exponential growth of the facility, having doubled its size in square footage during my absence. I was
honored to be chosen for the position though I realized quickly that I had much to learn. An additional
challenge was that my predecessor had already left the organization and moved out of state. As an
independent learner, I read infection control guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), sought guidance from the list-serv of the Association for Professionals in Infection
Control & Epidemiology (APIC), and researched journal articles and standards for best practices. I
became a member of national APIC and also the Greater St. Louis Chapter in 2007. In 2009, I was
elected to serve on the Greater St. Louis APIC Chapter as a member of the Nominating Committee.
In 2009, I also became Board Certified in Infection Control through the Certification Board of Infection
Control and Epidemiology, Inc., the industry standard for expert designation. I recertified in 2014. Also
in 2014, I was selected to serve a three year term (2015-2017) on APIC’s Professional Development
Committee. This committee is responsible for promoting professional development of APIC members
and diffusion of the APIC Competency Model (Professional, 2016). In June, 2015, I was asked by APIC
to moderate two sessions and be an expert speaker at the Knowledge Bar at their National Conference
in Nashville, Tennessee.
The independent learning that was critical in my employment in those early days is similar to the
learning that I have completed as a MSN student at American Sentinel University.
As related to N572PE-Collection and Interpretation of Surveillance Data, collecting and interpreting
data per national guidelines is the basic job description of any Infection Preventionist. Surveillance data
provides the information for an effective infection prevention risk assessment. The risk assessment
directs the Infection Prevention Program’s priorities and goal setting. These priorities and goals are then
reflected in the Infection Prevention Plan.

Collection and Interpretation of Surveillance Data (N572PE) lists four course objectives.
These include the following:

• Employ a systematic and standardized approach to record surveillance data using a CDC format
• Analyze collected data for specific projects such as infection rates, incidence and prevalence, risk
stratified rates

www.americansentinel.edu

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