Education & Certification
- Infection Prevention Training & Education
- APIC 2020 Annual Conference
- Face-to-Face Learning
- Online Learning
- CIC Certification
- NEW! Bundled Learning Options
- Group Training
- EPI® in Long-Term Care Certificate Series
- Accreditation & Contact Hours
Newly published federal regulations will have a significant impact on how long-term care facilities address infection prevention and control. To help prepare these facilities for the change, APIC has launched the “Certificate of Training in Infection Prevention in the Long-Term Care Setting” program as an opportunity for state departments of health to sponsor classes. The objectives of the course are to provide those working in long-term care with a baseline of infection prevention and control (IPC) knowledge, as well as information on handling the infection prevention challenges that are unique to the long-term care (LTC) practice setting.
“With the first revision to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation for Long-Term Care since 1991, which includes expansion of infection prevention and control conditions, we know that many people will be looking for updated training that helps prepare them for those changes,” said Lisa Tomlinson, vice president of Government Affairs at APIC.
The APIC certificate program gathers baseline IPC content in one series and includes the following required components:
Face-to-Face Training
EPI® 101 for LTC is a tailored version of APIC’s gold standard EPI® 101 course, focusing on the building blocks of infection prevention and control knowledge. Topics include:
- State and federal regulations for infection prevention and control
- Basics of epidemiology and microbiology
- Environmental services’ roles in infection prevention
Online courses
After taking EPI® 101, certificate learners spend time on a suite of three online courses:
- Microbiology 101 for Infection Preventionists
- Basic Statistics for Infection Preventionists
- Effectively Using Data
Face-to-Face Training
Like EPI® 101 for LTC, EPI® 102 for LTC tailors content from the original EPI® 102 class to the long-term care setting in an intensive, 2-day training that advances the infection prevention and control knowledge of attendees. Topics include:
- Clostridium difficile: What to watch for and how to manage an outbreak
- Proper cleaning and disinfection in long-term care settings
Certificate exam
After attending the two in-person classes and completing the online education, learners will take an exam with questions covering all of the content. Learners with a score 75% or better on the exam will earn the “APIC Certificate of Infection Prevention Training.” Note: Learners will have three chances to score 75%.
This new offering provides 42.5 CEs. Certificate earners are encouraged to continue their IPC education and eventually gain the CIC® certification. If you are a healthcare administrator interested in offering the LTC Certificate series to long-term facilities in your state, please contact Elizabeth Dunn, Senior Manager of Special Projects and Development, at edunn@apic.org.
The course is developed with support from IDPH through the CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) Domestic Ebola Supplement Award. If you are a healthcare worker in Illinois, please contact APIC at eLearning@apic.org for specific course information before registering for this course.
Disclosures:
No faculty or planning committee member disclosed any financial or commercial interests that affected this educational activity.
Accreditation, Contact Hours and Evaluation:
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC).
Course evaluations will be sent via an online link to the email address on file within 7 business days of the conclusion of the education program. Upon receipt, all evaluations must be completed within 30 days. After satisfying all evaluation requirements, a certificate of completion will be available to print and/or for your records indicating contact hours.
Accredited status does not imply endorsement by APIC or the American Nurses Credentialing Center of any commercial products displayed or discussed in conjunction with an educational activity.