How to Become an Infection Preventionist: Steps, Skills and Certification
The path into infection prevention and control: the background you need, your first IPC role, and the CBIC certifications from a-IPC to CIC® — with an Egypt and Gulf view.
In this article
An infection preventionist (IP) leads the program that stops infections spreading in a hospital or care facility. Most come from a health-related background such as nursing, medicine, microbiology or public health, move into an infection prevention and control (IPC) role, and earn the CBIC Certified in Infection Control (CIC®) after at least a year in that role.
What does an infection preventionist do?
An infection preventionist runs surveillance for healthcare-associated infections, investigates outbreaks, writes and audits IPC policies, advises on isolation, cleaning, sterilization and construction, and trains staff. These tasks map directly to the 8 domains of the CIC exam.
Steps to become an infection preventionist
- <strong>Start with a health-related education</strong> — for example nursing, medicine, laboratory science, public health or biology. CBIC recommends post-secondary education in a health-related field.
- <strong>Join an IPC team</strong> — as an IPC nurse, link nurse, IPC coordinator or surveillance officer. Build experience across surveillance, precautions, environment of care and sterilization.
- <strong>Consider the a-IPC</strong> — CBIC's entry-level credential for people new to infection prevention.
- <strong>Earn the CIC®</strong> — once you have 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time, or 3,000 hours of paid IPC work in the last 3 years.
- <strong>Grow into leadership</strong> — CBIC's advanced AL-CIP is a portfolio credential for experienced CIC or LTC-CIP holders.
Which infection control certification should I get?
| Credential (CBIC) | For | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| a-IPC | People new to IPC or moving into it | Entry-level knowledge exam |
| CIC® | Practising infection preventionists | 1 year full-time IPC experience (or equivalent) |
| LTC-CIP® | IPC in long-term care | IPC responsibility in long-term care |
| AL-CIP | Experienced leaders | CIC or LTC-CIP + portfolio |
CBIC's career-path material reports that more than 11,000 professionals across 50 countries hold the CIC®.
What skills do employers look for?
- Reading lab and surveillance data and calculating infection rates
- Outbreak investigation and root cause analysis
- Knowledge of precautions, disinfection and sterilization standards
- Teaching and influencing staff at every level
- Preparing for accreditation surveys (in the region: GAHAR in Egypt, CBAHI in Saudi Arabia, JCI and local regulators in the UAE)
Becoming an infection preventionist in Egypt and the Gulf
Hospitals across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE build IPC teams to meet accreditation standards, and many list the CIC® as preferred for senior IPC roles. The CIC® exam fee also depends on where you live: $220 in Egypt and $445 in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Compare exam costs by country on our CIC certification page — see Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Get started
- New to IPC? Start with the <a href="/courses/infection-control-diploma">Infection Control Diploma</a>.
- A year or more in IPC? Prepare with the <a href="/courses/cic-preparation-course">CIC Exam Prep Course</a>, and read <a href="/blog/how-to-pass-cic-exam">how to pass the CIC exam</a>.
FAQ
Do I need to be a nurse to become an infection preventionist?
No. Many infection preventionists are nurses, but doctors, microbiologists, laboratory scientists and public health professionals also work in IPC. CBIC recommends a health-related post-secondary education.
How long does it take to become CIC certified?
At least one year of full-time IPC work (or the part-time or 3,000-hour equivalent), then a few months of exam preparation.
What is the difference between a-IPC and CIC?
a-IPC is CBIC's entry-level credential for people new to IPC; CIC® is the professional certification for practising infection preventionists with at least a year of experience.
How long is the CIC valid?
Five years. You recertify by exam or through infection prevention units (IPUs).
#Infection control#Career#CIC
DWritten by
Dr Shorouk Elsayed
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