The European Infection Prevention and Control Certificate

European training programme

The spread of infectious diseases in a tightly connected world, along with increasing numbers of multidrug-resistant organisms, represent challenges that can only be met by increasing commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC). Conversely, training opportunities and IPC qualifications are still scarce. Europe’s approach to IPC is still very heterogeneous among different countries and sometimes also among different healthcare settings within the same country. However, every country has a certain expertise and/or specialty to offer. The mutual exchange of knowledge between European institutions provides a unique perspective on IPC, resulting in a unique European competence (see Figure 1). Based on this perspective and competence, a specific educational programme was developed to train a new generation of IPC specialists by EUCIC.

Figure 1: Overview of key aspects of the EUCIC infection prevention & control certificate

Programme structure
• 10 modules
– 1 compulsory basic module (covers basic aspects of IPC)
– 6 compulsory advanced modules
– 3 local modules (represent in-house expertise and country-specific aspects)
• Interim tests and a written final examination

Programme details
• Medical doctors and pharmacists, nurses or other healthcare professionals with an MSc or PhD are eligible
• ≈ 60 ECTS after completion
• 2-year programme
• Every year, the best performing graduate receives a full tuition refund

More information can be found on the ESCMID website: https://www.escmid.org/eucic/eucictraining_programme/