Infection Preventionist
Veteran Administration Connecticut Health Care System (VACTHCS)
BIO- APIC Conference June 2025
Roxana Rohrhirsch MHCA, BSN, RN, CIC VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Even though my life began in Washington D.C., my parents moved to Peru in South America where I was raised. After completing a 4-year nursing degree program at the British American Hospital and earning a BSN at the Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazon both in Lima-Peru, I traveled to the US and was granted permission to work as a graduate nurse and soon after passing my nursing boards continued my nursing career first working in Med-Surg units to soon after pursue my passion for Critical Care Nursing. Became certified in ACLS and CCRN and sought opportunities in Connecticut where I met my husband and started a family. My nursing career experience was enriched by hospital management and teaching nursing while completing my master’s degree in healthcare administration. Because my dad was a veteran, he often suggested I look for nursing opportunities at the VHA. It is at VA Connecticut where I began my Infection prevention journey 10+ years ago. The COVID pandemic affirmed my commitment as an Infection Preventionist and I became CIC certified. Highlights of any day as a certified infection preventionist relate to being visible and engaging all healthcare personnel in performing best infection prevention practices and preventing hospital-associated infections and it goes beyond … from continually learning, auditing and researching, teaching, collaborating, raising awareness about Hand Hygiene and promoting many IP strategies and interventions, implementing safety and quality measures, collecting data, measuring our interventions and sharing them with all colleagues and co-workers to being surrounded by a great team of infection preventionists and hospital epidemiologists where we are making a difference in how we protect our veteran patients and all colleagues and co-workers at VA Connecticut every day.
