Terrified of Rounding? Get Unscared with Purposeful Infection Prevention (IP) Walkabouts

Session Description: For many infection preventionists (IPs), especially those without a clinical background, unit-based rounding can feel intimidating and overwhelmingly unfamiliar. Yet rounding is one of the most effective tools for proactively identifying infection risks, reinforcing best practices, and building trust with frontline teams. This session is designed to help IPs overcome hesitation and confidently approach rounding with curiosity, clarity, and purpose.

Evidence supports role-playing and simulation-based education reduces anxiety and positively impacts clinical communication skills, especially within teams. Attendees will learn how to break the ice to engage staff in non-confrontational conversations, have the opportunity to practice ice breakers, and learn to observe curiously but not necessarily quietly.

The session will also include simple, actionable tips to make rounding feel less like a chore and more like a meaningful opportunity to connect, educate, and prevent harm! Rounding can be the best part of your day! Attendees will leave with communication strategies, observation tips, and confidence-boosting techniques to make rounding a consistent and rewarding part of their infection prevention practice. By making rounding more approachable, this session supports a broader goal: empowering all IPs—regardless of background—to be visible, trusted partners in patient safety.

Dina Conigliaro

RN Clinical Data Abstractor - HAI Surveillance, PeaceHealth

Dina Conigliaro, BSN, RN, CIC, PCCN-K is a board certified Infection Preventionist with 9 years of acute care Nursing experience in cardiac, pre/post-operative care, and leadership. Dina proudly has 3 years of experience in infection prevention and control. Dina’s professional interests include incorporating artificial intelligence into fun infection prevention-focused messaging, collaborating to optimize infection prevention workflows in electronic healthcare records, and prevention of surgical site infections. Dina is currently an Infection Preventionist with PeaceHealth in Oregon and Washington supporting surgical services at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, as well as SouthWest Medical Center in Vancouver, WA. In her free time, Dina enjoys writing music as a singer-songwriter, embarking on Oregon hiking adventures, and pampering her lovely Persian cat, Socrates.

Patricia Willeman

Director of Quality, St. Croix Health

Patty Willeman serves as the Director of Quality at St. Croix Health, an independent Critical Access Hospital in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. She brings over a decade of experience in infection prevention and healthcare quality. In her role, Patty oversees key functions including quality services, infection control, risk management, regulatory compliance and accreditation, employee health, and emergency preparedness. She is passionate about driving a culture of quality, patient safety, and excellence in care. Patty is also committed to continuous professional growth and the integration of best practices in healthcare quality and safety.