Workplace Essentials (WE) Infection Control for Direct Care Workers
Infection Control for Direct Care Workers is an interactive class that provides a comprehensive overview including types of germs and common sources of infection. It describes the chain of infection and how each link plays a part in causing or stopping an infection. Best practices are included for infection control. Standard and Universal Precautions are defined. This class includes direct care workers demonstrating the proper use of PPE in a community setting. Infection control strategies and real-life challenges are also included.
This course is unique because it addresses infection control practices outside of a hospital or institutional setting. It provides practical information that will increase knowledge and skills for proper use of PPE.
- Understanding Infection Transmission and Control: This course defines what is meant by “infection control” and provides an overview of types of infections, how they are spread, who is at risk, and why infection control precautions are so important in all settings.
- Understanding the Chain of Infection and Prevention: In this course, it is demonstrated how infections start, how they spread, and how the chain can be broken through always adhering to standard, or universal, best-practice precautions.
- Proper Techniques for Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): In this course, actual Direct Care Workers demonstrate proper techniques for handwashing, hand sanitizer use, and putting on, removing, and disposal of PPE.
- Real-Life Challenges: This course provides several examples of real life challenges to following proper infection control techniques and how to navigate them.
Narrated by Katherine Hanson, M.S., IMPART Alliance Special Projects Coordinator has worked with IMPART Alliance since its beginning in 2016 and has over twenty years of community college teaching experience encompassing both in-person and online formats. She currently serves as the IMPART Alliance Special Projects Coordinator where her responsibilities include communicating with project participants, developing research instruments as well as data processing, analysis and summarization. She also designs and manages project websites, edits video content for several outlets, designs project-related publications, and prepares content for various social media networks.
- Define infection control
- Define “germs”
- Define ways in which germs are spread
- Explain why standard precautions are important for infection control
- Describe proper steps for each personal protection and infection control skill
Beth Eisch
RN
Beth Eisch, RN, is currently a Master Trainer, Curriculum Designer, and Director of Education for IMPART Alliance. She holds an Associate Degree in nursing, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, and is a Certified Case Manager. Beth has over thirty years of experience in the field of aging, with a special focus on training direct care workers (DCWs). An additional area of focus for Beth is dementia. She is a Certified Dementia Capable Care Trainer and has done extensive training in this area for informal and formal caregivers. Beth worked as a Case Manager and Supervisor for the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan for nearly 29 years, has served as a Curricula Developer and Master Trainer for Community Services Network for the past 20 years, and as an IMPART Master Trainer for the evidence-based, comprehensive DCW training Building Training...Building Quality (BTBQ) for the past ten years. She is passionate about advocating on behalf of DCWs to receive better wages, training, and recognition and respect for the challenging and essential work that they do. Her advocacy flows into designing and teaching curricula that is based on a person-centered philosophy, uses adult learning principles, and adapts to the changing needs of the direct care work profession.
Chris Curtin
RN-BC
Chris Curtin, RN-BC has been a Certified Gerontological Nurse since 1989. Chris has over 35 years of experience in developing and delivering training programs. She was the founder of Community Services Network, a nonprofit organization which provided training programs for direct care workers for 22 years in northern Michigan and throughout the state. Chris has worked as a consultant for various projects with several Universities in Michigan, including IMPART Alliance at Michigan State University. She has worked with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Adult and Aging Services of Michigan on a variety of projects.
Course Progress
Course Content
What People Are Saying
My experience with this module was enlightening. I received clarification on some issues I assumed that I knew. I now have a better understanding due to my participation in this course."
