Factors affecting annual compensation and professional development support for infection preventionists: Implications for recruitment and retention.

BACKGROUND: Factors affecting annual compensation and professional development support have been studied for various healthcare professions. However, there is little understanding of these factors for infection preventionists (IPs). METHODS: Using secondary data from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 2015 MegaSurvey, we designed a descriptive, correlational study to describe IP annual compensation and professional development support. We tested for associations between demographic variables and annual compensation and investigated for predictors of higher annual compensation. RESULTS: Median salary for IPs was $75,000. IPs who indicated that their compensation was based on industry benchmarks reported a median salary of $85,000 (P < .001). IPs with advanced degrees reported a median salary of $90,000. IPs with bachelor's degrees or lower reported a median salary of $50,000 (P < .001). IPs with CIC® reported a median salary of $85,000. IPs without CIC® reported a median salary of $65,000 (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This study can be used to develop recruitment and retention guidelines that lead to a well-educated, well-compensated, and competent IP workforce.