Eligibility

• To be eligible for the CBIC's certification in epidemiology, there are both educational and experiential requirements that you must meet. There are two ways to fulfill the education requirement. The first is to be a current licensed medical technologist, clinical laboratory scientist or a registered nurse. The other is to have a bachelor's degree. You also must have some experience in epidemiology. The CBIC doesn't set a specific amount of experience; however the certification test is written for someone with at least two years of experience.
  
  

Certification Process

• Once you have met the education requirement and feel that you have an appropriate level of experience to do well on the test, you can begin applying for the CIC credential. Either submit an application found at goAMP.com or submit a hard copy, which can be obtained through the Candidate Handbook. Once the CBIC determines that you are eligible for the test and you have paid your application fees, a date will be set to take the certification examination. Once you've passed the exam, you are awarded the CIC designation.
  
  

Examination

• As of May 2010, the initial certification exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions that cover six major content areas, according to the CBIC. The main areas include the identification of infectious disease processes, surveillance and epidemiologic investigation, infection prevention and control, program management, education and infection control aspects of employee health. Most of the content areas are covered with between 27 and 36 questions on the test, except for education and infection control aspects of employee health.
  
  

Recertification

• After receiving your initial CIC designation, you are required to maintain your certification through applying for recertification every five years. To do so, merely take and pass the self-achievement recertification examination (SARE). There are no additional education or experience requirements. If you fail the test, you may continue using the CIC designation for a year. Within this year however, you'll need to pass the initial certification test again. If not, you can no longer use the CIC designation.
  
  

Costs

• There are various costs associated with attaining and maintaining your CIC designation. According to the CBIC, the initial certification fee is $310 as of May 2010. If you want to take the certification examination internationally, there is an additional $35 fee. When you are applying to recertify your credential, the fee to do so is $275. This does not include the cost of the SARE, which is an additional $340.