Transcript Slide 1

Certification in Infection
Prevention and Control
CIC®
Certification is Commitment
What is CBIC?
• Voluntary, independent, multidisciplinary
Board
• Provides direction for and administers the
certification process for infection prevention
and control and applied epidemiology.
• Mission: Protect the public through the
development, administration, and promotion
of an accredited certification in infection
prevention and control. CBIC maintains and
promotes professional certification of the
highest quality through the accomplishment of
key objectives.
What is CBIC?
• Established by the Association for
Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology, Inc (APIC) in 1981; CBIC is an
affiliate of APIC
• Certification program is accredited by the
National Commission for Certifying Agencies
(NCCA)
• Member of the Institute for Credentialing
Excellence (ICE), formerly National
Organization for Competency Assurance
(NOCA)
Certification Examinations
• Comprehensive, job-related, objective tests
• 150 multiple choice questions;15 questions
under evaluation, not included in scoring
• Developed from a practice analysis of
Infection Prevention and Control
Professionals in the U.S., Canada and other
countries
• Recognized by APIC and CHICA-Canada as
the standard for certification in infection
control
Certification Examinations
• Aligned with the Practice Standards for
Infection Control and Healthcare
Epidemiology
• The only standardized measurement of
essential knowledge, skills, and abilities
expected of infection prevention and control
professionals
• ALL examination questions are the
copyrighted property of CBIC
Computer-Based
Test (CBT)
• Proctored examination
• Administered at Assessment Centers
throughout the United States, Canada and
other international sites
Sites listed at:
AMP web site, www.goamp.com
• Used for both initial certification and
re-certification
Validity of the Certification
Examinations
• Exams are based on a practice analysis
conducted to ensure the content is current,
practice-related and representative of the
responsibilities of infection control
professionals around the world.
• The practice analysis, examination
development and process adhere to nationally
recognized standards for validation,
educational and psychological testing
Validity of the Certification
Examinations
• Developed under the guidance of a
psychometrician and test development
specialist from an independent testing agency.
The testing agency also oversees scoring of
the examination.
• Each test item (question) undergoes both
expert and statistical scrutiny before use.
Validity of the Certification
Examinations
• Passing scores are calculated to compensate
for item difficulty and differences between
examinations
• Acknowledged by The Joint Commission as
an important element of an effective infection
control program
Eligibility for Certification
• You are a licensed or certified healthcare professional (including,
but not limited to, registered nurse, licensed / registered practical
nurse [LPN, RPN], nurse practitioner, physician, medical
technologist, respiratory therapist) with current
registration/certification in good standing with the appropriate
licensing board /certification/ governing body (e.g.
state/provincial medical licensure; state/provincial nursing
association or board, etc.), OR have a minimum of a
baccalaureate (Bachelor’s) degree;
AND
• You are currently working in healthcare;
AND
• Infection prevention and control is one of your primary roles /
responsibilities in your current position;
AND (cont on next page)
Eligibility for Certification (cont)
•
You have had sufficient experience in infection prevention and control, which
must include active roles in:
– Collection, analysis and interpretation of infection prevention outcome data;
AND
– Investigation and surveillance of suspected outbreaks of infection; AND
– At least 3 of the following additional activities:
Planning, implementation and evaluation of infection prevention and
control measures;
Education of individuals about infection prevention and control;
Development and revision of infection prevention and control policies
and procedures;
Management of infection prevention and control activities;
Consultation on infection prevention and control risk assessment, and
prevention and control strategies.
•
All requirements described in Candidate Handbook
Eligibility for Certification (cont)
• Candidates who are self-employed must
submit additional documentation (See
Candidate Handbook for details).
• Candidates with lapsed certification must
meet the practice requirements as described
in the Candidate Handbook for first time
applicants and take the proctored computerbased examination (CBT).
Definition of Infection Control
Practice
• The practice of infection control occurs in a variety of
settings and includes:
– collection, analysis and interpretation of infection
prevention and control measures; and
– the investigation and surveillance of suspected
outbreaks of infection.
AND
Definition of Infection Control
Practice (cont.)
– at least three of the following additional activities:
» Planning, implementation and evaluation
of infection prevention and control
measures.
» Education of individuals about infection
prevention and control;
» Development and revision of infection
prevention and control policies and
procedures;
Definition of Infection Control
Practice (cont.)
» Management of infection prevention and
control activities;
» Consultation of infection prevention and
control risk assessment, and prevention
and control strategies.
Applying for the Certification
Examination
• Ensure that the eligibility requirements are
met
• Obtain a Candidate Handbook with
additional information, applications and a list
of suggested reference materials.
• You may apply online at www.cbic.org or
complete the paper application in the
Candidate Handbook and send in.
Preparing for the Examination
Refer to the detailed content outline in
the Candidate Handbook to guide
study efforts
Preparing for the Examination
(cont)
• Review current infection prevention and
control reference books, journals and
standards, including APIC and CHICACanada’s Practice Standards
• Solicit support from your local APIC or CHICA
chapter
• Form a study group among your peers
Confidentiality of Examination
Scores
• Both CBIC and AMP (CBIC’s testing agency)
maintain complete confidentiality of individual
test scores.
• Only summary statistics are provided at open
forums and published periodically in the
infection prevention and control literature.
Proper Use of the CIC® Credential
Only individuals who have successfully
passed the proctored computer-based
test and have
maintained current certification,
through either the computer-based
or SARE examination,
may use the CIC® credential.
Proper Use of the CIC® Credential
• The CIC® credential may be used on
resumes, business cards, letterhead,
and other professional communications.
• The CIC® credential may not be used for
product or other endorsements.
Certification Examination
2012 Content Outline
• Identification of Infectious Disease Processes
• Surveillance & Epidemiologic Investigation
• Preventing/Controlling the Transmission of
Infectious Agents
• Employee/Occupational Health
• Management and Communication
(Leadership)
• Education and Research
CBIC does not produce or endorse
products or materials related to
preparing for the certification
examination.
Resources
• Check CBIC Web site www.cbic.org for:
– 2012 Candidate Handbook (all application
and order forms for the examinations are
included)
– Background information on CBIC and the
certification process
Resources
• CBIC Executive Offices are located at:
555 East Wells Street
Suite 1100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 918-9796
Fax: (414) 276-3349
Web site: www.cbic.org
Resources (cont.)
• AMP (CBIC's testing company):
18000 W. 105th St
Olathe, KS 66061-7543
(888) 519-9901
[email protected]
Resources (cont.)
• APIC
1275 K St., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC, 20005-4006
(202) 789-1890
[email protected]
• CHICA-Canada
PO Box 46125 RPO Westdale
Winnipeg MB
R3R 3S3
(866) 999-7111
[email protected]