In her interview with Jacob Hutcherson, Melissa Bronstein discussed her transition into a management role and how she navigated the challenges of leading a growing Infection Prevention team. After recalibrating her skills, Melissa felt ready to step into a managerial position. Jacob was curious about the size of the team she managed at the time and how she handled training and mentoring new team members. Melissa explained that when she took over as manager, the department initially had only two Infection Preventionists (IPs), but soon expanded to seven after hiring four new team members.
Melissa emphasized the importance of training and onboarding new IPs, noting that when you bring in just one new hire, there’s plenty of time for one-on-one learning and shadowing. However, managing the training for four new IPs at once required a more structured and collaborative approach. To address this challenge, she implemented group learning methods, such as weekly HAI (Healthcare-Associated Infections) review meetings. These sessions provided an opportunity for more experienced IPs to present real cases, walk through the process of identifying infection risks, and demonstrate how to apply specific definitions from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).
The weekly review meetings accomplished multiple goals. They not only allowed new IPs to learn by observing how their colleagues applied infection definitions, but also taught them how to navigate the complexities of electronic medical records (EMR), which can be confusing for newcomers. Melissa’s approach ensured that the team developed a shared understanding of the technical aspects of their work while creating an environment for open discussion about how definitions should be applied.
By learning and problem-solving together, the team was able to strengthen its Infection Prevention strategies and ensure that everyone was on the same page. This collaborative training model also helped the new IPs build confidence in their roles more quickly, as they had the opportunity to see practical applications of their training in real-time and ask questions along the way.
Melissa also highlighted how this group learning approach fostered team cohesion. The process of working together on real cases not only enhanced their technical skills but also provided time for the team to bond and build trust. In Melissa’s view, this was crucial to establishing a strong, unified Infection Prevention department. Her leadership style, rooted in collaboration and shared learning, created a team that could grow together while providing effective infection control in a complex healthcare environment.