Meet the people who keep viruses & bacteria at bay in our health facilities

I joined IPAC in fall 2020. IH provided training education for a group of us, and here I am. The role seemed different and interesting and I like challenges. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I’m involved in many different tasks, from surveillance with Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology teams, to assisting with and reporting on disease outbreaks, to supporting and educating frontline staff. My job requires fostering relationships between IPAC and Interior Health leadership, support staff such as Environmental Services and Facilities and Maintenance Services, as well as with outside contractors, to ensure operations continue with patient safety always in mind and Canadian standards are met.

It’s like doing detective work. We work to reduce health care acquired infections (HAI) through education, trace HAIs in an effort to reduce spread, and audit facilities – which is called practice assessment – and keep patients and residents safe from infection within our facilities.

We are sometimes perceived as the police, but in fact we are here to support and help people! We fix things so everybody is safe.

Patience, self-driven, organized. You have to be able look at things with a macro lens, but also be able to prioritize. You also need an accredited course approved by Infection Prevention and Control Canada.

I like to say no one comes to work or into our facilities wanting to get sick. A lot of what infection preventionists say may seem unrealistic, but consider this: you probably didn’t just have a kidney transplant, or heart surgery.

A construction worker could open a ceiling tile 1,000 times and nobody would get sick, but all it takes is once, so that's the challenge.

I was moving to Kelowna and the job kind of fell into my lap – it was a happy accident. I’ve loved it since! I started mid-pandemic, and coming from another health authority, it was an interesting experience comparing the two.

Cool, calm, collected. It helps to have a good base in nursing and on-site experience for this role – but it’s a huge change of pace. You don’t know what’s going to come in your inbox, or who will call you with an urgent situation.

We do a through investigation into each case. Lab tests are used to confirm if it’s a true case of norovirus. We put together a multi-disciplinary team, including support services, allied health and clinical leadership to ensure clear and consistent communication – so all IPAC measures are applied and all members of the team are aware of how it impacts their services.

It’s like being a detective, trying to find commonalities between cases, looking at admissions, discharges and movement of patients, visitors and residents. It gets very intricate and interesting.

I enjoy the daily challenges of IPAC, such as working on surveillance of health care associated infections (e.g., surgical site infections and clostridioides difficile infections), and better understanding construction in health care and how integral IPAC is in the process.

The biggest thing so far is the teamwork in the IPAC program. It’s been great to see our colleagues come together and work so well together.

Proper hand hygiene is one of the biggest things we can do to prevent the spread of germs!

I met a colleague working with IPAC and I wanted to learn more about infection prevention and control in both Acute and LTC facilities. 

I provide surveillance by monitoring infectious diseases and I help conduct site and hand hygiene audits. You have to be a detective at times, working independently or with a team of professionals to diagnose pathogens, apply control measures, and reassess the results.

I get excited when I witness staff working together to create positive change for quality care. I also enjoy supporting staff and leadership with education on best practices, and I enjoy working on quality improvement projects.   

My previous role in the ICU was about immediate response to events. Working with IPAC is more about timely responses after gathering information and data, in a non-urgent environment, such as updating IPAC policies and guidelines.  

We’re involved in construction projects! We sign a lot of infection control permits and we ensure construction projects meet CSA standards.  

Lisa has been part of the Interior Health Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team since May 2006. Prior to this role, she spent ten years in Long Term Care and three years in Home and Community Care.

A former colleague from The Retirement Center, who was working in IPAC, called me and said, ‘I have the perfect job for you.’ At the time, I had no idea what working in IPAC involved, but I decided to take a chance—and here I am, nearly 20 years later.

Infection Preventionists draw on relationship-building, communication, adult education, critical thinking, and leadership skills every day. The role also requires strong organization and adaptability—because each day can bring unexpected challenges.

What I love most about Infection Control is the variety—it makes every day unique. Some days I focus on surveillance for healthcare-associated infections; other days I’m managing outbreaks or alerts, delivering education, or consulting on construction projects. I’m also passionate about mentoring new Infection Preventionists within our IPAC program, helping them grow and succeed in their roles.

Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most significant highlights of my career. At the onset, I was the sole Infection Preventionist (IP) serving the South Okanagan, which made it an incredibly challenging and stressful period. There were countless unknowns, yet it was inspiring and rewarding to witness the entire healthcare team unite to prioritize the safety of both patients and staff. During this time, I also had the privilege of orienting four new IPs to the South Okanagan IPAC team. I’m deeply grateful for the strong, collaborative team we have today.

Hand Hygiene is the number one way to prevent infections.