About the course

The AMR Learning Initiative is a crucial learning program developed by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Academy for Healthcare and the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) with the aim of addressing the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), reducing the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and improving the management of infectious diseases.

The IPC Supervision and Management Diploma Course of this initiative focuses on strengthening the knowledge and skills of the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) professionals working in MSF-supported healthcare facilities.

The course is delivered essentially online with a provision of individual mentoring by expert IPC professionals.

Target Audience

IPC Supervisors & Managers

Enrolment

Enrolment is done through the IPC advisor of each respective MSF operational center, in consultation with the project. If selected for the course, once you have enrolled in Tembo please send your name and registration email to amrlearningsupport@msf.org (Admissions to the 4th cohort of the course has been closed in March 2024 . Next cohort is planned to start in April 2025). Waiting for enrolment, we recommend you to complete this training programme: Infection Prevention Control Programme

Certification

At the end of the course, it's required to undertake a final examination assessing knowledge but also to have submitted all the work-based assignments. The pass rate is set at 75% for the final knowledge test and all the assignments. 

Active participation all throughout the course and completion of all the necessary components described above is also considered for the delivery of the Diploma in IPC Supervision & Management by BSAC (British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy) and Médecins Sans Frontieres.

Once the course is completed successfully, according to the same pre-cited requisites, a Certificate of Training Completion and a TEMBO badge are delivered directly through the TEMBO platform. The badge is a recognition of the learning on Tembo. The Diploma being accredited by various parties, including the UK Royal College of Pathologists, is delivered some weeks after the completion of the training.

Training Approach

The course has a blended approach. It's delivered essentially online and additionally, participants are supported and guided individually in their learning by expert clinical mentors. Through a combination of individual mentoring, interactive virtual classes, case studies, and work-based assignments, participants learn how to develop and implement IPC policies and protocols, conduct assessments and audits, develop an IPC action plan, run surveillance of HAI, and manage outbreaks. The course also provides guidance on effective IPC communication strategies and ways to engage healthcare teams and stakeholders.

Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation of the course are performed by the clinical mentors and include the review of the quizzes and assignments grades review, as well as the participation rate in learning activities. Learner feedback is also collected at mid and end of the course to identify eventual challenges and take lessons learned.  

List of Contents

• Module 1: Exploring the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) & IPC situation in the healthcare facility
  
• Module 2: Implementing & monitoring IPC in clinical practice: Standard and Transmission-based precautions
• Module 3: Implementing and managing an IPC programme
• Module 4: Optimizing built environment and IPC materials use
• Module 5: Contributing to HAI surveillance, prevention and outbreak management