Credentialling

ACIPC Credentialling Package

ACIPC Credentialling Package

ACIPC Re-Credentialling Package

ACIPC Re-Credentialling Package

Introduction

For infection control professionals, credentialling provides a clear industry-recognised pathway whereby you can demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes to be recognised by your peers as a primary, advanced or expert credentialled infection control professional. All applications are reviewed by a panel of infection control professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in a range of practice contexts.

As a credentialled ICP, you are professionally committed to excellence in practice as evidenced by your willingness to undergo peer review. When awarded, the credential carries the imprimatur of the College as the peak professional body for infection prevention and control in Australasia. For employers, credentialling helps you to meet current health regulations and health consumers’ demand that the care provided by health professionals in your organisation is safe, effective and efficient. Inherent in establishing this culture of patient safety is the requirement to minimise the risk of healthcare-associated infection. The primary tenet underpinning all healthcare provision is that health professionals “first, do no harm”.

Inclusion of an ACIPC credential as a requirement for employment will provide you with the confidence that your infection control professionals have a commitment to maintaining the necessary knowledge, experience and attributes to meet the challenges of contemporary healthcare. The requirement for re-credentialling every three years will ensure that staff maintain currency through ongoing professional development and peer review. For health consumers, you have the right to expect and receive high quality and safe health care.

The ACIPC Credentialling Framework builds on the College’s longstanding and successful credentialling framework and provides a clear career pathway for all professionals seeking a career in our discipline. Our three-tiered framework combines the requirements for experience, formal education, and training together with peer review.

Credentialling is a self-regulatory process instituted by the College as a professional body to determine and acknowledge that an individual has demonstrated the prescribed competence of the relevant specialist role in infection prevention in control.

In this way, credentialling:

• designates specialist or advanced expertise;
• informs consumers;
• establishes practice standards;
• promotes career advancement;
• identifies a community of experts;
• contributes to qualifications for independent practice;
• enhances the quality of care provided; and
• assists employers to manage risk.

Professional and credentialling standards committee

The ACIPC Professional and Credentialling Standards Committee (PACS) is responsible to the ACIPC Board for the development and promulgations of professional practice standards for infection prevention and control across Australasia and the setting of standards and frameworks for credentialling of infection control professionals. The committee is responsible for assessing applicants for credentialling and makes recommendation to the ACIPC Board on the outcomes of these assessments.

Credentialling has been with the College and our predecessor associations now for decades, and it has stood us in very good stead. We were early adopters of credentialling as a professional group, and the current credentialling process has served us well for many years by identifying and recognising experts in our field. But times change, and along with it so do the demands of everyday practice. Fundamental to the College’s work is to establish and articulate professional pathways and standards for practice to manage our changing environment. The ACIPC Credentialling Framework builds on the College’s longstanding and successful credentialling framework and provides a clear career pathway for all professionals seeking a career in our discipline. Our new three-tiered framework combines the requirements for experience, formal education and training together with peer review.

Importantly, the ACIPC Credentialling Framework is for everyone. A key underpinning philosophy of this change is to provide a career pathway for infection control professionals within a formal credentialling framework that is open to everyone working in infection control. More than three-quarters of College members work part-time in infection control, or have infection control as one element of a broader professional role. It is the view of the board and the credentialling and professional standards committee that the College must afford all members with professional practice pathways and frameworks that support and recognise the vital role we all play. And that is what we have done. Whether you are new to the profession or have been practising for some time, there is now something for everyone in the ACIPC Credentialling Framework.

Janine Carrucan CICP-E Chair, Professional and Credentialling Standards Committee

Committee Members

Re-credentialling

The re-credentialling process involves an assessment of your experience, qualifications and practice by the professional and credentialling standards (PACS) committee. Detailed information about the processes and what is required to be submitted is outlined in the application package and forms at the links below.

Members will be notified when their due date for re-credentialling is approaching and given 3 months from the due date to apply for re-credentialling. Extensions may be granted under extenuating circumstances and are assessed on a case by case basis. If you would like to check your credentialling status including due date, please email office@acipc.org.au.

Credentialling at a higher level

If you are wanting to re-credential at a higher level, you will need to complete a brand new credentialling application for either advanced or expert.

Fees

The College will invoice members once the application has been received.

Credentialling

• $110 -Primary
• $165 – Advanced
• $220 – Expert

Re-credentialling

• $165 – All re-credentialled members

Credentialling pins

Once you are Credentialled you are eligible for a ACIPC Credentialled Level College pin, that can be requested when you receive your confirmation and your pin will be posted out to you.