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.