CIC (AAPC) study guide
CIC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certification in Infection Control (CIC) is a professional credential for practitioners who direct or carry out infection prevention and control programs - typically IPs in hospitals, long-term care, ambulatory surgery, public health, and related settings. The exam tests the breadth of the role rather than a single clinical skill: recognizing infectious disease processes, running surveillance and epidemiologic investigations, applying transmission-based precautions and isolation practices, supporting employee/occupational health, managing programs and communicating with leadership, delivering education and consuming research, maintaining the environment of care, and overseeing cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization. The CIC study guide has 8 sections and about 2,024 words.
01Identification of Infectious Disease Processes
A candidate must be able to distinguish colonization from infection from contamination , and to link a clinical syndrome to its most likely organism and route. Core content includes the chain of infection (agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host), the difference between exogenous and endogenous sources, incubation periods, and the laboratory methods that identify organisms: culture, Gram stain, antigen tests, nucleic acid amplification, and serology.
312 words, about 2 min02Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation
Surveillance is the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of health data for action. Candidates must know the difference between passive (routine reporting) and active surveillance (trained staff seek cases), prospective vs retrospective , and incidence (new cases/time) vs prevalence (all cases at a point).
290 words, about 1 min03Preventing and Controlling the Transmission of Infectious Agents
Standard precautions apply to all patients at all times: hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask/eye protection based on anticipated exposure, safe injection practices, and respiratory hygiene. Transmission-based precautions add to standard precautions: Contact: MRSA, VRE, C.
271 words, about 1 min04Employee/Occupational Health
Occupational health programs protect healthcare workers through immunization, exposure management, and surveillance. Candidates must know post-exposure protocols for bloodborne pathogens (HBV, HCV, HIV), needlestick management, and the difference between post-exposure prophylaxis and pre-exposure vaccination .
264 words, about 1 min05Management and Communication
Infection prevention programs require leadership support, written policies, a defined reporting structure, and a multidisciplinary committee. Candidates must understand the roles of the infection preventionist, hospital epidemiologist, and the infection control committee; the importance of data feedback to units; and regulatory/accreditation requirements.
241 words, about 1 min06Education and Research
Education and research underpin evidence-based practice. Candidates should understand adult learning principles (relevance, practice, feedback), competency validation, and the difference between education (knowledge) and competency (demonstrated skill).
230 words, about 1 min07Environment of Care
The environment of care includes air handling, water systems, surfaces, and waste. Candidates must understand ventilation requirements (negative-pressure rooms for airborne isolation, positive-pressure for protective environments), air changes per hour, and the role of HEPA filtration.
216 words, about 1 min08Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Spaulding classification drives reprocessing: critical items (enter sterile tissue) require sterilization; semi-critical items (contact mucous membranes) require high-level disinfection; non-critical items (contact intact skin) require low-level disinfection. Know the difference between cleaning (removes soil), disinfection (kills most microorganisms but not necessarily spores), and sterilization (kills all microorganisms including spores).
200 words, about 1 min