Infection Prevention and Control Professional Certificate

Emerging life-threatening infections have increased the demand for efficient and sustainable infection prevention and control within the healthcare domains. Oversight of the suitable tools and standards will result in an uncontrolled spread of infections which could eventually lead to huge economic and social burdens. This program offers a comprehensive view on this topic through three short courses that focus on hands-on exercises and hospital visits preparing participants for leadership in the IPC field and healthcare domains. Moreover, they will have the ability to design surveillance programs and carry out activities for the early detection and prevention of healthcare-associated infections.

• Design an HAI surveillance program that facilitates early detection and prevention of HAI
• Implement up-to-date standards in medical instruments’ reprocessing
• Implement activities related to IPC accreditation standards
• Plan for improvements and bring about change
• Respond appropriately to outbreaks and emerging communicable diseases
• Monitor ideal hospital design and environmental requirements for safe hospitals
• Conduct a well-structured audit starting from designing audit tools through analysis of findings

• Participants with a medical background (Bachelor of medicine, pharmacists, dentists, nursing) and fresh graduates are welcome.
• Participants with a non-medical background working in the IPC field (Bachelor of Science) should have at least one year of experience in hospitals.

Core Courses

1. Reprocessing of Medical Devices (18 hrs)

This course aims to provide standardized knowledge of the theory and practice standards needed for participants through updated academic content and observation of best practices in hospital visits.
This will include all processes related to reprocessing, starting from cleaning, wrapping, sterilization and disinfection. In addition to this, the ideal layout of a sterilization services’ department will be covered, as well as quality control aspects related to the sterilization process during and after reprocessing.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to apply the best practices in cleaning, wrapping, disinfection and sterilization of medical devices. They will also recognize the ideal storage, dispensing, and traceability concepts of medical devices. Moreover, they will be able to evaluate medical instruments’ reprocessing practices according to evidence-based knowledge.

2. Healthcare-Associated Infections’ Surveillance (21 hrs)

This course will cover the main principles of epidemiology, different types of HAIs, and surveillance methodologies necessary to monitor, control, and prevent infections. The course will cover basic statistical knowledge required to translate surveillance data into meaningful reports (tables and graphs).

Participants will also be able to explain different epidemiological terms that support the early detection of emerging infections. They will have the ability to define different types of HAIs based on CDC definitions and apply these definitions in their work environment to diagnose and prevent HAIs. Moreover, participants will be able to design a surveillance program, translate surveillance data into statistical measures, write a detailed report explaining the outcomes of the surveillance program, and finally, they will be able to use benchmarking concepts to evaluate the surveillance program.

Participants will actively participate in learning activities that will include flipped classrooms, group discussions, interactive presentations, and case studies. Real surveillance data will be used to illustrate methods for data analysis, interpretation, and graphical presentations.

3. Infection Prevention and Control Aspects to Achieve Accreditation (24 hrs)

A rapidly evolving health care environment has created an increasingly complex landscape for infection prevention (IP) professionals to navigate, resulting in expanded functions and roles. Furthermore, the composition of the IPC workforce is changing. IP needs managerial skills to bring about the change they need.

Once the course is completed, candidates will acquire essential competencies needed by the IPs to carry out their role in the accreditation of healthcare systems. They will have the ability to identify IPC’s role in the accreditation of health care settings, organize evidence-based IPC programs, manage potential infectious risks, implement accreditation requirements, and utilize improvement methodologies to enhance and sustain infection prevention and control practices. This course addresses the managerial and analytical skills needed by IP by engaging the candidates in different learning activities including flipped classrooms, group work and discussions, and hospital visits.

This will allow them to master the know-how for joining or leading the IPC program to effectively achieve accreditation, ensuring reliable healthcare services in the 21st century.

Business Acumen (Self-Paced Online)

Effectively operating within a business setting and having a positive contribution require a certain set of skills and competencies. The business acumen courses explore critical 21st-century skills needed for today’s business world, enabling passion and speed in dealing with different business situations.

To check out the full list of our Business Acumen courses, click here.

Admission Criteria

Participants who would like to obtain the Infection prevention and control certificate (attending the three courses and one business acumen) must have the highest level of these criteria to enroll in the 4 courses

For Reprocessing Medical Devices Course

• Staff operating and auditing central sterilization services department (CSSD), infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals, physicians, nurses, dentists and professionals interested in IPC practices.

For Healthcare-Associated Infections’ Surveillance course

• Infection prevention (IPs) professionals managing and practicing infection prevention and control (IPC) programs in healthcare settings, epidemiologists, microbiologists and public health professionals. In addition to other healthcare professionals (Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, laboratory staff and healthcare administrators) interested in hospital epidemiology, and healthcare-associated infections (HAI) surveillance, as well as fresh graduates interested in the IPC program. 
• Junior academic staff teaching epidemiology, IPC programs, and surveillance curricula.

For Infection Prevention and Control Aspects to Achieve Accreditation course

• Infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals, physicians, nurses, dentists and professionals interested in IPC and accreditation practices.

Admission Process

1. Prepare a clear scanned copy of the following documents (saved in PDF format):
   1. Original bachelor’s degree certificate
   2. National identification card (ID)/passport
2. Fill in the application and upload the above PDF documents
3. The Admissions Committee will review your application and contact you if needed
4. You will receive an acceptance email specifying the next steps for online payment. Your registration is confirmed upon payment

For any inquiries regarding the application process, contact us at 15592 or by email.