amazed by what you notice when you pretend you’ ve never been there before.
Small Habits, Big Impact Each of these steps is simple, but the cumulative effect is powerful. They create what I call a“ living readiness culture”— one where infection control isn’ t episodic, it’ s embedded.
When I visit facilities that consistently pass surveys with flying colors, I rarely find something magical or extra-funded. I find discipline. I find habits. I find leaders who refuse to make compliance optional or occasional. They don’ t wait for survey season. They live it daily.
The Leadership Mindset Shift
Infection prevention is a leadership function as much as a clinical one. Culture shifts when leaders model accountability, celebrate progress, and turn audits into opportunities for excellence— not punishment.
If your staff associates infection prevention with fear or frustration, something’ s broken. If they see it as empowerment, safety, and pride— you’ ve built something worth sustaining. Remember: leaders don’ t just enforce compliance. They embody it.
Turning Compliance Into Daily Excellence
The most successful facilities treat infection prevention like breathing— automatic, essential, and constant. They don’ t“ prepare” for surveys because they’ re already living ready.
Here’ s my challenge to every leader reading this: Don’ t let compliance be your finish line. Make it your starting point. Because when culture leads, compliance follows.
Final Thoughts: The Call to Lead Differently Every infection prevented is a story that doesn’ t make the news. Every clean hand, properly donned glove, or checked log is an act of quiet heroism. It’ s leadership at its most human— protecting those who can’ t protect themselves.
And that’ s what true infection control culture looks like: not a binder full of protocols, but a building full of people who care enough to do the right thing every single time.
So, the next time someone asks,“ How do we make compliance stick?” Tell them this: You don’ t make it stick. You live it.
Joi A. McMillon, BSN, MBA HA, CRRN, WCC, CJCP, HACP-CMS, CIC, AL-CIP, is CEO and an infection control consultant, J. A. D. Infection Control Experts. She has worked in the post-acute environment in nursing leadership and in infection prevention and control and regulatory compliance for more than 30 years. She founded J. A. D. Infection Control Experts in 2007 helped hospitals, long-term care facilities, SNFs, and ALFs be proactive in survey readiness. She is an international speaker on infection prevention and regulatory compliance and has been an item writer for the CIC exam, for the APIC Learning System for CIC Book 1 & 2, and LTC-CIP Book 1 & 2, and has served as an SME on the APIC LTC Policy Pro. She is the current president of the APIC Miami-Dade Chapter as well as author of“ Survey Ready Every Day: A Guide To Resilient Leadership.” nov-dec 2025 • www. healthcarehygienemagazine. com •
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