Certification in Infection Prevention and Control

Certification Is Commitment

What is CBIC?• Voluntary, independent, multidisciplinary

Board• Provides direction for and administers the

certification process for infection prevention and control (IP&C)

• Mission: Protect the public by raising the standard of the infection prevention and control profession through the development, administration and promotion of an accredited certification process.

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, formerly National Organization for Competency Assurance

Eligibility for Certification• Must meet practice requirements for “current clinical

practice of infection prevention and control”

• Must have primary responsibility for the infection prevention and control program for their employing organization OR the department in which the applicant is employed is assigned responsibility for the infection prevention and control program in the organization.

• Must meet educational requirements (or apply for a waiver)

• All requirements described in Candidate Handbook

Eligibility for Certification (cont)

• A current license or registration as a medical technologist, physician, or registered nurse;

OR• A minimum of a baccalaureate degree

OR• Contact CBIC Executive Office regarding

educational requirement waiver

Eligibility for Certification (cont)• Candidates who are self-employed or who

work in non-traditional settings 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.

Eligibility for Re-Certification

Individuals who are currently certified are automatically eligible for

re-certification every 5 years.

Definition of Infection Control Practice

• The clinical practice of infection control occurs in a variety of settings and includes both:

– analysis and interpretation of collected infection prevention and control data; and

– the investigation and surveillance of suspected outbreaks of infection.

AND

Definition of Infection Control Practice (cont.)

• Includes at least three of the following five activities:

1. Planning, implementation and evaluation of infection prevention and control measures;

2. Education of individuals about infection risk, prevention and control;

Definition of Infection Control Practice (cont.)

3. Development and revision of infection control policies and procedures;

4. Management of infection prevention and control activities;

5. Provision of consultation on infection risk assessment, prevention and control strategies.

Proper Use of the CIC® Credential

Only individuals who have successfully

passed the proctored computer-based certification exam 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.

Resources

• Check CBIC Web site www.cbic.org for:

– Candidate Handbook (all application and order forms for the examinations are included)

– Background information on CBIC and the certification process

CBIC does not produce or endorse products or materials related to

preparing for the certification examination.

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