What is the professional advancement committee (PAC)?

The Professional Advancement Committee leads a monthly study group for APIC DFW members who are preparing to take the Infection Prevention and Control Certification exam (CIC) and provides study materials, exam-taking tips and other related assistance as needed. The Committee also provides recognition to members who have become certified or have recertified during the year at the APIC-DFW annual holiday luncheon.

CBIC CERTIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

The Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC) offers various methods of certification and recertification. Read more about each method listed below.

Certification Methods:

·       CIC Initial Certification Exam

The CIC (Certified in Infection Prevention and Control) initial certification examination consists of 150 multiple-choice questions, of which 135 are scored (15 are pretest questions and do not count for or against your score). Candidates will not know which questions are the pre-test questions. The initial certification exam is the only option for the first-time certifier. The initial certification examination is a timed; closed-book test administered by computer and must be taken at specified testing agencies which are geographically located throughout the United States and internationally.

Learn more about the CIC initial certification exam: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/CIC-Certification/About-the-Examination.htm

·       a-IPC Exam (New in 2020!)

The a-IPC (Associate – Infection Prevention and Control) entry-level certification examination is a measure of basic infection prevention competency. It is intended for the novice IP and for those interested in pursuing careers in infection prevention and control. It is also intended for those who do not meet the eligibility requirements for the CIC. The a-IPC is an objective, multiple-choice examination consisting of 100 questions. 85 of these questions are used in computing the score.

Before the a-IPC can be officially released, CBIC needs to obtain a cut score or minimum passing score. CBIC is currently beta testing the exam.

Learn more about the a-IPC exam: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Get-Certified/Get-Started/a-IPC.htm

Learn more about the beta test and download an application: https://www.cbic.org/OffNav/a-IPC-Beta-Test.htm.

Recertification Methods:

Recertification is required in order to maintain the CIC designation. All currently CIC certified professionals in infection prevention and control are eligible for recertification during the year that their certification is due to expire. Recertifying candidates may recertify either through Infection Prevention Units (IPUs) or by passing a web-based recertification examination.

·       CIC Recertification by Continuing Education IPUs (New in 2020!)

Recertification by Continuing Education, referred to as Infection Prevention Units (IPUs), can be achieved through a variety of ways every 5 years by earning a minimum of 40 units/points from projects or activities, covering at least six of the eight examination domains.

Learn more about recertification IPUs: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Recertify/Recertification-by-Continuing-Education.htm

Download the IPUs criteria chart: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Recertify/Recertification-by-Continuing-Education/IPUs-Criteria-Chart.htm

Review the FAQ page: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Certification-FAQs/Recertification.htm#RecertificationIPU

·       CIC Recertification by Examination

Like the CIC initial certification exam, the CIC recertification examination is also a 150 multiple-choice question exam of which 135 are scored (15 are pretest questions and do not count for or against your score). Candidates will not know which questions are the pre-test questions. The recertification examination is a web-based exam and a link to the exam is emailed to the candidate. It is an open-book exam and can be completed at the candidate’s pace, but must be submitted for scoring by 11:59 pm Greenwich Mean Time / 6:59 pm EST on December 31st of the year in which the certification expires.

Learn more about the CIC Recertification Exam: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Recertification.htm

When does PAC meet?

PAC meets at 11:00am-12:30pm before every APIC DFW meeting.

Where does PAC meet?

PAC meets in person at the meeting locations listed on the chapter’s calendar or and/or virtually depending upon the chapter meeting platform. 

PAC meetings are available via webinar for those who cannot come in person. In order to attend via webinar, members must register for each webinar. A registration link will be sent out prior to each meeting.

What occurs during a typical PAC session?

During each session, a different chapter of the APIC CIC Study Guide is covered via a PowerPoint presentation. We cover study tips provided by past PAC attendees. We also address attendees’ questions and provide resource materials for their exam preparation.

PAC Session Resources

PAC attendees utilize the APIC CIC Certification Study Guide as a resource to prepare for each session

TIPS FOR TAKING THE CERTIFICATION EXAM

Multiple choice exams are not simply a matter of recognizing true statements from textbook material. They frequently ask the person to make fine distinctions between correct and nearly-correct statements. Although factual knowledge is essential; higher-order thinking questions sometimes make the content of the questions unrecognizable. These types of questions may require distinctions of recognition, or may involve thinking for synthesis, analysis, and application. People often read questions carelessly; therefore, it is important to learn about the type of thinking required to answer multiple choice questions and how to read the questions carefully.

Preparation:

1. Attend the Professional Advancement study group to join with fellow APIC DFW members in preparing for the CIC exam.
2. Review material in the Certification Study Guide and study kit.
3. Review practice questions in the Certification Study Guide and the sample SARE exam. Examine each question to determine the:

• type of thinking required (recognition, synthesis, analysis, application);

• degree of difference between incorrect and correct alternatives.

4. When studying the practice questions, consider groups of facts or groups of ideas that are similar in meaning.

• Pay special attention to differences among facts and ideas within the question.

• Consider what each fact or idea means or includes and what each does not mean or does not include.

• Consider what is necessary or sufficient to include. For example, consider how two similar concepts differ and why that difference is important.

Taking the Certification exam:

1. Read directions carefully. Some alternatives may be partly correct or correct statements in themselves, but not when joined to the stem. Directions may say: "choose the most correct answer" or "mark the one best answer." You may be asked to "mark all correct answers."
2. Find out whether you will be penalized for questions that are not answered. Some exams penalize "guessing" by subtracting points for incorrect answers. If there is no penalty, then guess. If there is a penalty, it may be better to leave the question blank.
3. You will have 4 hours to complete 150 questions. This means you have approximately 1 ½ minutes for each question. Some questions, will take you only a few seconds, while others will require more time for thought. Work through the exam as follows:

• Read every question carefully, but quickly, and answer only those of which you are 100% certain. Lightly mark those that need more thought.

• Examine/study the questions marked. Answer those you are reasonably sure of without pondering too much on each. Erase the mark.

• Finally, read the remaining unanswered questions. If you cannot come to a decision by reasoning or if you run out of time, decide whether you should guess. Erase the mark.

• All extra marks must be erased to avoid problems with scanners.

4. Eliminate obviously incorrect alternative(s) first.
5. Read the stem question and every alternative in potential answers.

• Determine if you can identify a correct sound or flow that the correct answer often produces. Eliminate any alternatives that do not agree grammatically with the stem.

• Some people find it helpful to read the stem and anticipate the correct alternative before actually looking at the alternatives. If you generally do better on essay exams, this strategy may help. Research shows that one in three students scores better with this strategy.

• Consider answers with "all of the above" and "none of the above." Examine the alternatives to see if all of them or none of them apply totally. If even one does not apply totally, do not consider "all of the above" or "none of the above" as the correct answer. Consider that a statement can be true, but not be relevant to the question.

• Break the stem down into grammatical parts. Identify the subject and verb (if it is in the stem), and then examine all negatives, superlatives and modifiers (qualifiers). This step ensures that you will thoroughly examine and understand the stem.

• Pay careful attention to negatives. Words such as "none", "not", "never", or "neither" indicate that the correct alternative must be a fact or absolute. Other alternatives could be true statements, but not the correct answer.

• Words such as "every", "all", "none", "always", and "only" are superlatives that indicate the correct answer must be an undisputed fact.

• Qualifying words such as "usually", "often", "generally", "may", and "rarely" could indicate a true statement.

• If two alternatives are opposite, one is likely to be the correct answer.

• Correct answers will be grammatically correct extensions of the stem.

• If any clause is false, the entire statement is false.

6. If you are positive you made an error on a question, change it. Studies have shown that changing answers on a multiple choice or true-false exam is neither good nor bad.

Visit the CBIC webpage for more information about certification and recertification

contact information

Alviony (Febi) Sammons and Erica Casanova
apicdfwpac@gmail.com