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 computer-based 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 CHICA-Canada’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 Examination2012 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 StOlathe, KS 66061-7543(888) 519-9901info@goamp.com

Resources (cont.)• APIC

1275 K St., NWSuite 1000Washington, DC, 20005-4006(202) 789-1890apicinfo@apic.org

• CHICA-CanadaPO Box 46125 RPO WestdaleWinnipeg MBR3R 3S3(866) 999-7111chicacanada@mts.net