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
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
Proctored Computer-based
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 of
infection prevention and control professionals
• 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
Certification Examination
2010 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
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 computerbased examination.
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.
Applying for the Certification
Examination
• Obtain a Candidate Handbook with
application forms and special
accommodations requests from CBIC.
• Ensure that the eligibility requirements are
met (request an educational waiver, if necessary).
• You may apply online at www.goamp.com or
complete the paper application in the
Candidate Handbook and send to AMP
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
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 St
Olathe, KS 66061-7543
(888) 519-9901
info@goamp.com
Resources (cont.)
• APIC
1275 K St., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC, 20005-4006
(202) 789-1890
apicinfo@apic.org
• CHICA-Canada
PO Box 46125 RPO Westdale
Winnipeg MB
R3R 3S3
(866) 999-7111
chicacanada@mts.net