Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group.  Through partnership, VIPTA curates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.

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Promo image of 2026 Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow

Ready, Set, Educate! Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow 2026

Infection prevention education keeps healthcare staff on their toes. From emerging diseases to new multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) challenges and changing guidance, training needs can shift fast. The 2026 Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow is here to help you stay ready with hands-on tools, fresh ideas, and practical strategies built for today’s ever-changing healthcare environment. 

More About the Roadshow 

  • Leave with practical educator supplies, resources, and fresh ideas to strengthen your training toolkit 
  • Connect with fellow infection preventionists, designated infection control officers, and health educators from across Virginia 
  • Explore real-world strategies that make infection prevention education more interactive, memorable, and effective  
  • Gain confidence teaching in fast-changing healthcare environments where flexibility matters more than ever 

For questions about this training resource, contact hai@vdh.virginia.gov. 

Guidance, Recommendations, & Regulatory Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post.  Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

CDC: Conjunctivitis (09/11/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC recommends excluding healthcare personnel with suspected or confirmed infectious conjunctivitis, including epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), from work for the duration of their symptoms. These recommendations emphasize strict hand hygiene, appropriate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and shared medical equipment, and prompt identification and management of cases to prevent transmission and healthcare-associated outbreaks.
CDC: Viral Respiratory Infections (09/11/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC provides updated recommendations for managing healthcare personnel exposed to or infected with viral respiratory infections, including work restrictions, symptom monitoring, and source control. Asymptomatic exposed personnel may continue working with source control through at least five days after their last exposure, while infected personnel should be excluded from work for at least three days and meet additional symptom-based return-to-work criteria, followed by source control through at least day seven.
CDC: Preventing Respiratory Infections in the Workplace (08/28/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC provides recommendations to help employers prevent and respond to respiratory infections in the workplace through improved ventilation, engineering controls, environmental cleaning and disinfection, and policies that encourage sick employees to stay home.  These recommendations also emphasize using respiratory illness surveillance data to inform workplace prevention strategies, including masking and remote work, to reduce transmission and protect employee health.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

SHEA

Infection Prevention and Control of Candida auris in Pediatric Settings (6/23/2026) The guidance recommends identifying at-risk pediatric patients through targeted screening, using appropriate isolation and room-placement precautions, and coordinating closely with infection prevention and public health partners when Candida auris is suspected or confirmed. It also emphasizes prevention through meticulous hand hygiene, effective environmental cleaning and disinfection, and careful...

Carilion Clinic’s Internship Program Prepares the Next Generation of Infection Preventionists

Carilion Clinic’s Infection Prevention and Control team is celebrating an innovative workforce development initiative: the Accelerated Internship Program for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Created to address the growing need for trained IPC professionals, the program offers aspiring infection preventionists and graduate students a structured, hands-on introduction to the field. 

The 10-week program includes 20 hours per week of core IPC learning. Interns build a strong foundation while applying concepts in real clinical settings. Topics include hand hygiene, standard and transmission-based precautions, healthcare-associated infection prevention, surveillance and reporting, regulatory readiness, environment of care, disinfection and sterilization, surgical services, microbiology, outbreak response, exposure management, and specialty care settings. 
Image of Savannah Butcher, IP, MPH

The program’s practical design is one of its greatest strengths. Rather than learning only from reading, interns round with teams, observe surveillance processes, review dashboards, participate in environment of care activities, shadow sterile processing and laboratory workflows, explore outbreak response tools, and prepare department presentations. They also gain access to facility tools, policies, checklists, and national resources that support continued development. The internship is led by IP Savannah Butcher, MPH, who thoughtfully curates a meaningful learning experience. As she shares, “the most rewarding part of coordinating the internship program is mentoring students and helping them discover how impactful infection prevention is to patient safety and healthcare quality.” 

Cheers to Carilion Clinic’s IPC team for investing in future Infection Preventionists through a thoughtful model that combines mentorship, evidence-based practice, and real-world experience. 

Getting Started Tips 

  1. Check out the APIC Accelerated Internship Program Guide for a ready-made framework to get you started.
  2. Choose a project for the intern to develop throughout the program.
  3. Create a clear weekly schedule built around key IPC topics.
  4. Match each topic with a hands-on clinical learning activity.
  5. Include shadowing opportunities across departments.
  6. Use facility policies, data, dashboards, and checklists as teaching resources.
  7. Incorporate public health, regulatory, and outbreak response perspectives.
  8. Conclude with a project presentation to reinforce learning and recognize progress. 

IPC Education & Training Library

Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. Visit the VIPTA FAQ page to learn more about VIPTA library content.

 

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