How To Become An Infection Control Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is an infection control nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Allyssa Harris RN, PhD, WHNP-BC

An infection control nurse plays a critical role during an outbreak. They are registered nurses that are responsible for implementing the best practices for controlling or eliminating the spread of viruses and bacteria, as well as caring for patients who have already been infected.

Aside from this crucial duty, an infection control nurse also helps spread information about the infection, educate others on disease prevention, assisting with the development of infection control plans, and communicating with government agencies on best infection control practices. Sometimes, they are also responsible for studying pathogens to identify their origin and help prevent outbreaks in the future.

To become an infection control nurse, one must be a registered nurse (RN), which typically requires a four-year nursing degree and completion of a licensure exam. Aside from that, one must have substantial experience in nursing, particularly in dealing with infection cases. Some hospitals also require RNs to have a Certification in Infection Control and Prevention, which has its own set of requirements.

Due to the highly critical nature of their job, infection control nurses may make more than regular nurses with an average salary of $68,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to an infection control nurse?

Allyssa Harris RN, PhD, WHNP-BC

Dean and Professor, Prairie View A & M University

Daily, nurses with the health care team to manage and coordinate patient care which include physical assessments-assessing, observing, and evaluating the patient's response to care, administering medication and treatments, assisting with procedures, and providing health education to patients and their families. Additionally, nurses often supervise other unlicensed health care team members including licensed vocational nurses, patient care technicians (PCTs) and nursing students.

ScoreInfection Control NurseUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,171

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.92%

Black or African American 11.89%

Hispanic or Latino 8.72%

Unknown 4.24%

White 65.79%

Gender

female 87.54%

male 12.46%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an infection control nurse

Explore infection control nurse education requirements

Most common infection control nurse degrees

Associate

39.7 %

Bachelor's

39.1 %

Diploma

7.9 %

Start to develop specific infection control nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	16.84%
Infection Prevention	8.84%
Infection Control	6.47%
Public Health	5.79%
Infection Control Practices	5.27%

Complete relevant infection control nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New infection control nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an infection control nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real infection control nurse resumes.

Gain additional infection control nurse certifications

Infection control nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific infection control nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for infection control nurses include Infection Control Certification (CIC) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research infection control nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage cases of patients recently hospitalize, afflict with chronic debilitating conditions and other long-term care needs.
Provide all in-service instruction to all employees and new staff members base on OSHA and state regulations.
Maintain regulatory compliance with national and regulatory bodies such as JCAHO, CDC, OSHA, and FDA.
Track CPR renewals for medical staff.

Prepare your infection control nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your infection control nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an infection control nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable infection control nurse resume templates

Build a professional infection control nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your infection control nurse resume.