APIC 2026: What Are the Best Ways to Prepare for the CIC Exam? Lessons From a Decade-Long Infection Prevention Study Group

Earning the Certification in Infection Control (CIC) can be one of the most challenging and rewarding milestones in an infection preventionist's (IP’s) career. For Patty Montgomery, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, an IP at Overlake Medical Center in Washington state, and the 2025 Infection Control Today Educator of the Year award^TM recipient, helping others achieve that goal has become a decade-long labor of love.

At the Association for Professionals in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology Annual Conference and Exposition (APIC26) held from June 15 to 17, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, Montgomery presented a poster highlighting the evolution and impact of a CIC study group she launched in 2016. What began as a small effort among colleagues has since grown into a statewide resource that has helped infection preventionists from a variety of health care settings prepare for certification.

"It started out as a personal study group where I had 2 colleagues who lived in other parts of the state, and we studied together," Montgomery said. The group shared study materials, reviewed questions, and collaborated through a shared online drive.

As word spread, interest grew.

"Eventually, my chapter wanted to join, and really, there was no harm in anybody joining. It was the more the merrier," she said.

Today, the program includes multiple study sessions each year, typically lasting 6 months, and attracts participants from across Washington state and beyond. Montgomery's APIC poster examined feedback from study group participants to better understand which resources and strategies contributed most to their success.

To analyze the data, Montgomery reviewed responses from approximately 100 participants collected between 2021 and 2024. She used artificial intelligence to help organize and identify trends in the information while carefully validating the results. "I put it all into AI," Montgomery explained. "I de-identified it, and I had AI just sort it for me."

However, she emphasized that the technology served as a starting point rather than a replacement for human review. "The important thing that I did was I validated every single time it came out," she said. "I had my big papers, and I went back and looked to see, did it count them correctly?"

Although the process required significant effort, Montgomery said AI made a daunting task manageable. "That initial summary step that seemed overwhelming wouldn't have been possible. I don't think I could have done it without the help of AI."

The findings revealed several common themes among successful CIC candidates. "The top recommendation for folks studying for the exam was to join a study group," Montgomery said.

She believes the finding speaks to the importance of community and peer support during the certification process."People are really coming to this exam feeling like they don't know anything, or aiming for this really high, what seems like an unachievable goal," she said. "It's hard to do that by yourself, and it makes it a lot easier to know other people are going through it with you."

Another highly recommended resource was a series of CIC preparation videos created by IP Luz Casciato. "They are excellent, and they've stood the test of time," Montgomery said. "Everybody mentioned those, and they were just really, really a good resource for people, and they don't cost anything."

The study group's reach has expanded beyond acute care infection preventionists. Montgomery estimates that approximately 60% of participants work in acute care settings, while roughly 30% come from public health.

"When I started this, we just had a handful of people in public health joining us," she said. "It's become something that people in public health can use so that they can open up opportunities for themselves."

After 10 years, Montgomery says the greatest reward is seeing new infection preventionists gain confidence and remain in the profession.

"This study group has been a labor of love for me," she said. "It makes me feel like I'm helping a new IP find their wings."

Reflecting on APIC26, Montgomery said the conference continues to reinforce what she values most about the profession. "My favorite thing about APIC is just the people," she said. "It's such a small world, infection prevention. Sharing knowledge and preventing infections, that's really what it's all about."