Abstract: OBJECTIVE In the 1970s, as infection control emerged as a prominent profession in the United States, data demonstrated a direct correlation between well-staffed infection control departments and reduced hospital-acquired infections, thereby ensuring patient safety. Since then, the infection control field has grown rapidly in response to society's growing concern for patient safety. The COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2023 further highlighted the unique role of infection control in safeguarding both patients and healthcare workers, prompting active recruitment efforts for these departments. As more professionals join the infection control field, it is crucial to define the scope of infection control departments and the necessary skills for infection control personnel, so that limited infection control resources can be efficiently utilized to achieve optimal outcomes of patient safety. Recognizing its significance, this paper describes the functional scope of infection control departments and the skills required for infection control personnel.