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Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Certificate

Course January 13 – May 24, 2020

Syllabus currently under review for 2020 – final full version to be provided prior to start of program

COURSE PURPOSE

Queen’s Infection Prevention and Control course is an on-line interactive program for health professionals who are new to the field of Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) or are about to enter into the practice of IP&C. The purpose of the course is to introduce participants to the practice of IP&C and to increase participants’ knowledge and skills, and attitudes for managing the prevention and control of infections and disease.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Course objectives are based on the content as outlined by CBIC (Certification Board for Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.)

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Identify fundamental concepts of epidemiology and microbiology as they relate to IP&C 2. Examine and investigate scenarios to practice problem-solving for IP&C 3. Practice critical thinking and management skills for engaging in:

• routine practices and additional precautions, • surveillance, • outbreak control of infections and disease within clinical and public health

settings 4. Collaborate with colleagues to demonstrate teamwork skills reflective of the inter-

professional working relationships found within healthcare settings 5. Apply research, teaching, and lifelong-learning skills through engagement within a

problem-based, online learning community

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INSTRUCTORS

Different instructors teach each of the modules (see Table 3 below). There are two ways in which you and your instructor(s) may be in contact as you participate in each module: 1. A designated Question & Answer (Q&A) Board is available for each module. Here, you can

post questions about the module to your instructor(s) and engage in asynchronous dialogue about the material. This board is available to you 24/7 and will be checked daily by your instructor(s) during the week(s) pertaining to that module. Instructors will respond within 48 hours.

2. Other arrangements, such as Skype or phone appointments can be made, should you wish

to speak directly to the instructor(s). Contact information, specific to individual instructors, will be posted to his/her respective module(s)on the course onQ page.

Table 3 – Instructors

Instructor(s) Module

Dr. Denise Stockley (Part 1 of Module 1) Lifelong Learning: The Principles of Adult Learning

Ms. Sandra Halliday (Part 2 of Module 1) Evidence-based Medicine and Literature Searching

Dr. Prameet Sheth Infectious Disease Processes: Clinical Microbiology

Ms. Sandra Callery Routine Practices and Additional Precautions

Disinfection, Sterilization, Reprocessing and Construction

Dr. Stephanie Smith Epidemiology of Health Care Acquired Infections

Dr. Dick Zoutman Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation

Mr. David Ryding Public Health

Ms. Kathleen Poole Employee and Occupational Health

Ms. Susan McIntyre Management and Communication in Infection Prevention and Control

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Table1–ModulesandTopicsbyWeek(WeeksrunfromMondaytoSunday)Note: Some modules are 1 week, and others are 2 weeks in duration

Observed holidays during the course: Monday, February 17, 2020 (Family Day),

Friday, April 10, 2020 (Good Friday), Monday, May 18, 2020 (Victoria Day)

Week Date Module Module Title Weekly Topic of Focus

1 Jan 13 - 19 1 (a)

Life Long Learning Life Long Learning (Principles of Adult Learning)

1 (b) Evidence-based Medicine and Literature Search

2 Jan 20 - 26

2 MicrobiologyofEpidemiologically

SignificantOrganisms&Pathogenesis

Introduction to Clinical Microbiology

Bacteria

3 Jan 27 – Feb 2

VirusesFungi

Parasites4 Feb 3 – 9

3 RoutinePractices&

AdditionalPrecautions

RoutinePractices

5 Feb 10 – 16 AdditionalPrecautions

6 Feb 17 – 23 4

Disinfection,Sterilization&Re-processingandConstruction

Disinfection,Sterilization,Re-processing

7 Feb 24 – Mar 1 Construction

8 Mar 2 – 8

5 Epidemiology of Health

care Acquired Infections

CommonSourcesofHealthCareAcquiredInfections

9 Mar 9 - 15

CurrentHealthCareAcquiredInfectionsandtheir

EpidemiologicalTrends

10 Mar 16 - 22

6 SurveillanceandEpidemiologicInvestigation

IntroductiontoEpidemiology

11 Mar 23 – 29 EpidemiologicInvestigation

12

Mar 30 – Apr 5 Surveillance

13 & 14 Apr 6 – 19 OutbreakInvestigation

15 Apr 20 – 26 7

PublicHealth&

EducationPublic Health & Education

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& 17 Apr 27 – May 10 8

Employeeand

OccupationalHealth Employee and Occupational Health

18 & 19

May 11 – 24 9 ManagementandCommunicationinInfectionPrevention

andControl

Management & Communication in Infection Prevention

and Control

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Table 2 – Weekly Quiz and Assignment Schedule with Checklist

Week Dates Quiz

(deadline)

Individual Assignment – Completion of Task (deadline)

Group Assignment (deadline)

Individual Assignment – Feedback to Colleagues (deadline)

1 1 Jan 13 - 19 oJan 13

oJan 16 or 17 Posting for PubMed webinar *Attend live webinar Jan 15 or 16

2 2 Jan 20 – 26 oJan 26

3 Jan 27 – Feb 2 oFeb 2 o Jan 24 oFeb 2

3 4 Feb 3 – Feb 9 o Feb 9

5 Feb 10 – 16 oFeb 16 o Feb 14 o Feb 16

4 6 Feb 17 - 23 oFeb 23

7 Feb 24 – Mar 1 oMar 1

5 8 Mar 2 – 8 oMar 8

—

9 Mar 9 – 15 oMar 15 o Mar 13 o Mar 15

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10 Mar 16 – 22 oMar 22

11 Mar 23 – 29 oMar 29

12 Mar 30 – Apr 5

oApr 5 o Apr 3 (Surveillance Group Assign)

o Apr 5 (Part 2 of Group Assign) o Apr 5 Peer Review

13 & 14

Apr 6 – 19 oApr 19 o Apr 17 (Group Assign)

No Feedback to colleagues due o Apr 19 Peer Review 7 15 Apr 20 - 26 oApr 26 o Apr 24 o Apr 26

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16 Apr 27 – May 3 o May 1 Safety Training due

17 May 4 - 10 oMay 10 o May 8 o May 10

9 18 & 19

May 11 - 24 oMay 24 oMay 22

*Quizzes and assignments must be completed and submitted as of 11:30 pm ET on the date listed. Please see course policies regarding incomplete, late or missed assignments and quizzes.

Module

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ASSESSMENT PLAN

Component Percent of

Course grade Weekly Quizzes

The course includes 16 quizzes, consisting of 10 questions each, to be completed each week. Quizzes are non-cumulative; each week, questions are limited to the weekly content being covered. The purpose of the quizzes is to test your understanding, recall, and application of fundamental concepts discussed each week, therefore relating to the overall intended learning outcome #1.

38%

Individual Module Assignments

Most modules include an individual assignment to be completed. Assignments range in task depending on the module. Overall the tasks intend to serve as an opportunity to develop and apply critical thinking, research, and application skills related to the module at hand, therefore relating to the overall intended learning outcomes #2, 3, and 5. You will post your completed assignment to an Assignment Discussion board, then review and provide feedback on the submissions posted by at least two of your colleagues. Specific instructions on each assignment are provided within each module. 38% of your overall course grade is calculated by averaging your score on your 7 individual assignments. All individual assignments with the exception of the Life Long Learning assignment (worth 3%) and the final assignment on Management and Communication in IPC (worth 10%), are worth 5%.

38%

Group Assignments

There are two group assignments within the course. The two assignments differ in task. However, the overall purpose of these assignments is to collaborate with colleagues in examining and investigating complex problems, reaching solutions through collaborative application of infection control skills. Assignments relate to intended learning outcomes #2, 3, and 4. Specific instructions on the assignments are provided within each module. Together the two group assignments will comprise 20% of your overall grade.

20%

Peer Assessments (TwoPeerAssessmentsworth2%each)

Upon completion of each group assignment, you will assess each of your team members using provided Peer Review questions and a rubric. Your final grade is determined by averaging the scores collected from your peers. These assessments are not shared with your group members.

To pass this course, you must achieve an overall average of 70% AND you must complete all of the assignments.

4%

A weekly Quiz and Assignment Schedule is provided in Table 2 which outlines when quizzes and assignments are due. You may choose to use this table as a checklist to keep track of your progress.

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COURSE POLICIES

Late Work All quizzes and assignments (individual and group) are to be completed and submitted no later than the deadlines specified under Table 2 of this syllabus. Late work resulting from internet failure and/or personal circumstances will not be accepted and a grade of 0 will be recorded. Illness and Unforeseen Circumstances Please inform the Office of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship (queensic@queensu.ca) of illness or any situations during your studies that inhibit your ability to fully participate in the course. Appropriate accommodations will be made on a person-by-person basis. Should you become more than 2 weeks late in submitting your assignment, you will be required to apply for a further extension. Your application will include the reason you are unable to meet the 2-week deadline. You will be required to submit an outline of your assignment completion target dates. Should you not meet these dates, you will be given a ‘0’ for your late assignment(s). Should you not participate in the group assignment, you will be required to complete the assignment, in its entirety. You will receive a ‘0’ for your Peer Review. Completion of Assignments All assignments in the course must be completed. You must achieve an average of 70% or higher to pass the course and receive your certificate. Copyright The material on the course website is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in Infection Prevention and Control. The material on this website may be downloaded for a registered student’s personal use, but shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in Infection Prevention and Control. Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate’s Academic Integrity Policy Statement. You are encouraged to read and understand Copyright law Course Requirements, Academic Policies and Commitment to Inclusion through online and Queen’s campus resources at: https://library.queensu.ca/help-services/copyright-fair-dealing/faqs Academic Integrity Queen’s students, faculty, administrators and staff all have responsibilities for supporting and upholding the fundamental values of academic integrity. Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see https://academicintegrity.org/fundamental-values/) and by the quality of courage. All members of the academic community - faculty, staff, and students - are expected to uphold these values, which are fundamental to the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" upon which the educational environment at Queen's depends.

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Any behaviour that compromises these values is considered a departure from academic integrity and is subject to remedies or sanctions as established by Smith School of Business and Queen's University. Queen's students, faculty, administrators and staff therefore all have ethical responsibilities for supporting and upholding the fundamental values of academic integrity. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their academic work (e.g., assignments, exams, clinical education activities, etc.) conforms to the principles of academic integrity (see: https://www.queensu.ca/academicintegrity/students-and-academic-integrity)

Plagiarism. To course instructors, plagiarism means: “to represent as one’s own, the ideas or expressions of another (i.e. through direct quotes, paraphrasing, or summarizing) without acknowledgement and citation”.

Allowing it to be thought that another's ideas or phrasings are one's own by failing to provide proper acknowledgement. This may include:• Copying and pasting from the internet • Copying a printed source or other resource without proper acknowledgement • Copying from another student • Using direct quotations or large sections of paraphrased material in an assignment

without appropriate acknowledgement • Buying term papers or other assignments and submitting them as one's own • Submitting the same piece of work in more than one course without the permission of

the instructors • Obtaining a copy of a test or exam from an earlier section of the course and writing the

same test or exam later in the day or subsequent days

Students are expected to properly cite each of their sources when submitting individual and group assignment work. The approach to citation should follow the accepted style as instructed by the individual instructors. For most of the modules, your preferred style of citation is accepted as long as you follow the same style for all of your references.

Failure to properly cite your sources will be considered a violation of Academic Integrity. A first act of plagiarism will be brought to the attention of the student as an opportunity for learning and correction. Failure to address the violation as per the instructor or course organizer’s guidance and/or following violations will result in your removal from the course. For more information and to view resources that provide useful tips on avoiding plagiarism and cheating: https://www.queensu.ca/academicintegrity/students/avoiding-plagiarismcheating

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to promoting an anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels respected, valued and welcome. Our intent is to present materials and activities that are respectful of the diversity of students and experiences in this course. Because

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the class will represent a diversity of individuals, beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences, every member of this class must show respect for every other member of this class. Knowing and applying the names and pronouns that students wish to use is a crucial part of developing a productive learning environment that fosters inclusion, and personal dignity. Please let the instructors know your preferred name and pronoun anytime throughout the term. If you have a preferred name that you wish to appear in onQ and on class lists you can make this change by logging into SOLUS. Please follow the steps outlined below:

• Log into SOLUS • Click on ‘Personal Information’ tab • Click on ‘Names’ tab • Click on ‘Add New Name’ tab • Choose ‘Preferred’ from the ‘Name Type’ drop down menu • Enter in preferred name and click ‘Save’

Please allow 24-48 hours for this preferred name to be registered within the system. If you have further questions or concerns please contact ITS at Queen’s University. Group Work You are expected to conduct yourself professionally at all times and actively participate in the group assignments for the program. This includes communicating with your group, treating your group members as well as other groups respectfully, and pulling your weight with the group work. The overall purpose of the group assignments is collaboration with colleagues so as a group you must include all members in your collaborative application of infection control skills. In a group assignment, the group members will work together to develop an original, consultative response to the assigned topic. Group members must not look at, access or discuss any aspect of any other group’s solution (including a group from a previous year), nor allow anyone outside of the group to look at any aspect of the group’s solution. Likewise, you are prohibited from utilizing the internet or any other means to access others' solutions to, or discussions of, the assigned problems. The names of each team member must appear on the submitted assignment. No one other than the people whose names appear on the assignment may have contributed in any way to the submitted solution. In short, the group assignments must be the work of your group, and your group only. All group members are responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the work that the group submits. Individual Work Assignments and examinations identified as individual in nature must be the result of your individual effort. Outside sources must be properly cited and referenced in assignments; be careful to cite all sources, not only of direct quotations but also of ideas. Ideas, information and quotations taken from the internet must also be properly cited and referenced. Help for citing sources is available through the Queen's University library: http://library.queensu.ca/help/cite-sources

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TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS

Desktop Support Browser Supported Browser Version(s)

Google© Chrome™ Latest

Tablet and Mobile Support Device Operating System Browser Supported Browser

Version(s) Android™ Android 4 and later Chrome Latest Apple iOS 6, 7, 8, and 9 Chrome Latest Microsoft Surface™ Windows 8 and later Chrome 11

NB: iPad/mobile device users—We do not support mobile devices (your desktop/laptop computer is always the best option); however, some versions of iPads and other mobile devices will work with this technology. E-mail Account (Queen’s course email) Your Queen’s course email is your ‘netid@queensu.ca’. For instance, if your netid is ‘abc123’ your email address is abc123@queensu.ca. Access to your Queen’s email can be found by logging into http://office365.queensu.ca with your web browser. There will be a link on the course homepage as well that will link you to the log-in page. You will use your course email address and password. It is possible to forward your course email address to an external one. You can find the instructions to do this at https://support.office.com/en-us/article/turn-on-automatic-forwarding-in-outlook-on-the-web-7f2670a1-7fff-4475-8a3c-5822d63b0c8e - bkmk_beta (NB: Please read the disclaimer first.) Internet Connection Internet connection with a broadband high speed Internet connection (eg. cable, DSL, ethernet) is essential for this online course. NOTE: Dial-up with a modem is not adequate for this course! You MUST have a high speed connection. Firewalls If you are behind a firewall your settings must be configured to open the port 443. Please give this port information to your System Administrator. (Users with personal firewalls should consult the software documentation for appropriate instructions.) NB: Firewalls and Web Browsers–If you are using a corporate network and do not have "Administrative" privileges to install some of the required software, please consult with your network administrator as soon as possible to make the necessary installations. Based on the experience of previous participants taking this course, this could be a lengthy process.

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Web Browsers

Chrome (Google) is the preferred web browser regardless of your operating system.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, it can sometimes be at the fault of the web browser. Always ensure you are using the most up-to-date version of your web browser. It is also important to clear the cache on your web browser to ensure you have the most up-to-date information displayed.

Pop-Up Blockers It is common for a computer to have a pop-up blocker in place to prevent unwanted pop-ups such as advertisements. Unfortunately, the pop-up blocker will also prevent your computer from opening materials from within onQ such as the weekly content and resources. To avoid this problem, you must disable your pop-up blocker. How this is accomplished depends on your computer and web browser. It is recommended that you conduct a Google search (such as “Disable pop up blocker Mac Safari”) for specific instructions according to your computer and browser. Up-to-date Software Please ensure your computer both has the following software and is operating from the most up-to-date version of such software: Adobe Reader http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Java (For Windows) http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Use of Personal Handheld Devices The ability for onQ and course materials to be accessible via personal handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets is a developing technology. While all the settings are in place in order to facilitate your access of the course in this way, technological issues may arise as a result of the various operating systems available. Please contact Queen’s ITS or your service provider for assistance in solving technological issues arising from the use of personal handheld devises.