**Applications are now closed** The next application cycle will take place January 20, 2026-March 2, 2026.
The role of IPC professionals is rapidly evolving and expanding. Beyond ensuring compliance with established protocols, we are now called upon to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence policy and practice, and advocate for comprehensive infection prevention strategies that align with organizational goals. IPC professionals require a unique blend of leadership acumen and advanced infection prevention expertise.
If your CIC® expires this year (December 31, 2025) and you earn your AL-CIP™, your CIC will be automatically extended to have the same expiration date as the AL-CIP™. If you are unsuccessful on the AL-CIP™, you will need to recertify your CIC® via examination or infection prevention units by the respective deadlines to avoid a lapse in certification.
The AL-CIP™ portfolio is an assessment of knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of individuals who demonstrate professional expertise working in the field of infection prevention and control. The FAPIC designation recognizes exemplary APIC members with status of FAPIC. According to APIC, “the fellow of APIC status is a distinction of honor for infection preventionists who are not only advanced practitioners of infection prevention practice but also leaders within the field.” Where fellowship denotes an honor, certification offers a level of attestation to a level of achievement.
CBIC recognizes and supports the value and commitment associated with FAPIC status. The AL-CIP™ is not designed to compete with or deflect from the importance and value of the FAPIC. The AL-CIP™ will be designed to assess and verify an individual's professional leadership accomplishments through a standardized credential. Additionally, documentation of the FAPIC status will be a highly recommended guideline that facilitates success in obtaining the AL-CIP™ certification. The practice analysis that we will conduct for developing the AL-CIP™ process will be a valuable tool for understanding the intricacies of professional expertise within IPC, and CBIC will provide ongoing updates as planning continues.
The AL-CIP™ is a portfolio-based assessment of knowledge, skills and abilities expected of individuals who demonstrate professional expertise, leadership and impact in the field of infection prevention and control. Applicants will provide a written narrative and pieces of evidence to support their portfolio. There is no examination component to the certification.
A portfolio assessment allows applicants to demonstrate their individual competency for each core domain through documentation of practice application in key IPC activities and initiatives.
IPC professionals with active CIC and/or LTC-CIP certification who have impacted the profession through advanced expertise and leadership skills.
*all supporting evidence provided must be within the last ten years
Candidates must submit no less than 6 unique pieces of evidence and no more than 8 pieces. A single piece of evidence could be used up to 3 times.
Example:
1.1 - Evidence #1
1.2 - Evidence #2
2.1 - Evidence #3
2.2 - Evidence #4
3.1 - Evidence #5
4.1 - Evidence #6
5.1 - Evidence #1
6.1 - Evidence #1
1. Acknowledge professionals who significantly contribute to the field of infection prevention and control.
2. Foster the advancement of leadership skills that impact IPC initiatives: Recognize those professionals who demonstrate the leadership competencies necessary to effectively guide teams, influence decision-making processes, and support the implementation of innovative infection prevention strategies.
3. Enhance leadership influence: Empower IPC professionals to play a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture and policy, ensuring that infection prevention and control is represented and prioritized in the executive suite.
4. Advance IPC in the C-Suite: Support IPC professionals to engage with executive leadership and board members, advocating for the resources and support needed to drive comprehensive infection prevention initiatives.
The applicant will demonstrate advanced IPC expertise and leadership skills through two core domains: Leadership and Professionalism. The individual competencies of the new AL-CIP™ included in these domains are:
No. Active engagement and advanced infection prevention and control practice, leadership, education, research, policy and/or advocacy is necessary to demonstrate leadership within infection prevention and control that has a measurable impact. CBIC will not accept portfolio evidence or narratives that does not relate to IPC or only includes work in which the applicant did not actively participate.
This new certification will empower those working in the field of IPC and impacting the profession to advance in their expertise, leadership skills and influence to more significantly impact the future of infection prevention and control. It will also facilitate recognition of the profession as an essential and prominent component of healthcare, public health and organization in other settings.
Leadership requires an advanced ability to inspire individual and organizational excellence, create a shared vision and successfully manage change to attain strategic goals. Infection prevention and control (IPC) leaders use their skills to establish a clear vision and strategic direction, facilitate change that improves IPC programs and practices, enhance individual and population health, and reduce the risk of infection across the lifespan in any setting.
A portfolio-based assessment is an evaluation method where a collection of an applicant’s work is compiled over time to demonstrate their skills, achievements, and progress. It assesses a broader range of skills and competencies, providing a comprehensive view of an applicant’s abilities over time. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) offer several benefits in the assessment industry, making them a popular choice for evaluating knowledge and skills. MCQs can be easily graded by machines or software. Additionally, MCQs can be statistically analyzed for validity (accuracy in measuring what they intend to measure) and reliability (consistency of results over time).
To ensure the psychometric validity of portfolio-based assessments, CBIC is actively developing a clear, detailed rubric that specifies the criteria for evaluation. This ensures consistency and objectivity in scoring. We will also be conducting training and calibration sessions for evaluators to ensure they apply the rubrics consistently.
The AL-CIP™ application is open twice a year. The first application period was January 21, 2025-February 28, 2025. The second application period will be July 10, 2025-August 15, 2025. We encourage candidates to work on their portfolios before the application opens.
You may want to draft your written rationales in a Word document or other secure platform before entering your work into the application portal. It is always a good idea to back up your work in case of a system outage or internet issues.
High Income Countries: $545
Upper-Middle Income Countries: $385
Lower/Middle Income Countries: $245
Low-Income Countries: $125
*Income group determined by the World Bank
The certification will be valid for five years and will be maintained through resubmission of portfolio items and infection prevention units. More information is available under "Recertification" at the bottom of this page.
No, we do not transfer funds to future application cycles.
Please note that all payments for the Advanced Leadership Certification in Infection Prevention and Control are non-refundable. Once you register, refunds cannot be provided for any reason.
No. CIC® or LTC-CIP® certificants will retain their certification upon earning the AL-CIP™.
If a CIC®/LTC-CIP® certificants chooses NOT to recertify the AL-CIP™, their CIC® or LTC-CIP® will expire at the end of the next calendar year, and they can recertify via exam or IPUs.
Example: John Doe, CIC®
If a certificant chooses not to recertify the AL-CIP, their CIC or LTC-CIP credential will be automatically extended through the end of the following calendar year. During that year, they may recertify their CIC or LTC-CIP either by examination or by submitting Infection Prevention Units (IPUs).
Example:
If both the AL-CIP and CIC credentials are set to expire on December 31, 2031, and the certificant notifies the CBIC office in 2031 of their decision not to maintain the AL-CIP, the CIC will be extended to December 31, 2032. The certificant must then recertify the CIC in 2032, either by passing the exam or by submitting 40 IPUs.
CBIC will recruit the next cohort of reviewers in mid-2025. As a reviewer, you will play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of our certification process. Your expertise and insights will help shape the future of infection prevention and control by ensuring that our candidates meet the rigorous criteria required for certification.
AL-CIP Portfolio Reviewer Criteria
• Active AL-CIP certification at the time of application.
• Commitment to serve as a reviewer for 12 months (two application cycles) with the option to extend. The time commitment is approximately 10 hours per application cycle.
• Participate in virtual reviewer training twice per year.
• Previous volunteer experience with CBIC recommended but not required.
• A keen eye for detail and a commitment to upholding high standards.
Benefits
• Earn infection prevention units (10 units per year)
• Networking with other infection prevention professionals
• Professional Growth: Enhance your own knowledge and skills by reviewing diverse portfolio submissions from peers in the field.
CBIC’s policies ensure you are not short-changed on your certification. Let’s walk through a sample of what this may look like.
The results will be sent to the email address in your CBIC account approximately 60 days after the application deadline.
No.
Unsuccessful candidates will receive a list of the sub-competencies that were unmet as part of the portfolio in their results letter.
If your AL-CIP™ portfolio is unsuccessful, your results letter will include a list of the sub-competencies that were not met.
You may retake the AL-CIP™ at a 50% reduced fee, but only need to resubmit evidence and rationale for the sub-competencies you did not pass. All evidence must be from within the last 10 years.
To qualify for the reduced fee and partial resubmission:
If you do not reapply within this timeframe, or if your second attempt is unsuccessful: