Master's Degree in Infection Prevention and Control

The unique nature of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), in terms of their impact on morbidity, mortality, increased healthcare costs, and implications for patient safety, underscores the need to manage and implement a comprehensive HAI prevention and control program. This program must be based on ongoing quality management and control: planning, implementation, evaluation, and decision-making based on the results. Such a comprehensive approach exponentially improves the procedures and processes involved in patient care.

The World Health Organization (WHO 2016) recommends that all healthcare professionals receive training in Infection Prevention and Control. This training should utilize a participatory, team-based, task-oriented approach that includes diverse training options to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections and control antimicrobial resistance.

The WHO identified three categories of personnel as recipients of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training, each requiring different training strategies and content. These include "Infection Prevention and Control Specialists": physicians, nurses, and other professionals who are part of the technical teams responsible for the Infection Prevention and Control program.

This group of professionals must receive the necessary training to reach an expert level of knowledge covering all relevant areas for Infection Control Prevention, including the safety of patients and healthcare professionals and quality improvement.

The training of professionals in Infection Control is essential in the region. New diseases are emerging, and we must be prepared to respond. An example of this is SARS-CoV-2, the novel virus that swept the world in early 2020. Once again, the presence of trained professionals was crucial in addressing a public health crisis.

• Aimed at graduates in Nursing, Doctors or other qualifications linked to the health area with 4 years of healthcare activity.

Specialist in Medicine Wanda Cornistein

Medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires with honors diploma 2001.

University Specialist in Internal Medicine (2005) and Infectious Diseases (2009)

She worked for 18 years at Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital in Buenos Aires as a staff physician in the Infectious Diseases Department. From 2011 to 2016, she was Head of the Quality and Safety Department at the FLENI Institute in Buenos Aires. She currently serves as Head of the Infection Prevention and Control Service at Austral University Hospital in Pilar, Buenos Aires. She pursued a university teaching career at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), serving as Director of the Infectious Diseases Residency Program from 2016 to 2018. She currently works as an adjunct professor at UBA. She is a member of the Board of Directors and the Healthcare-Associated Infections Committee of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (SADI). She is also the SADI representative on the National Commission for the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance (CONACRA) of the Ministry of Health. Former director and current member of the Critical Infectious Diseases Committee of the Argentine Society of Intensive Care (SATI).

Academic secretary:

• Lic. Esp. Paula Carrizo.
• Dr. Ángel Colque.

Academic Council:

• Ms. Dolores Latugaye.

The Master's program falls within the mission of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and of the Universidad Austral as a whole, which aims through its actions to be a benchmark for scientific, educational and transfer contribution, in those disciplines with the greatest impact on the development of people, promoting interdisciplinarity and as a service to society.

This is a Master's degree of a professional nature, since it is specifically linked to the strengthening and consolidation of skills specific to a profession or a field of professional application.

The field of healthcare-associated infection prevention demands the training of qualified professionals who enrich the body of scientific knowledge and generate technologies that underpin professional practice.

In this sense, our country and in the current global context is at the opportune moment to promote and strengthen professional skills through this postgraduate program.

The Master's program contributes to the development of health sciences and health technology, thereby improving healthcare and enhancing the quality of care and patient safety. Throughout the program, students develop competencies linked to disciplinary or multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks that broaden and qualify their professional performance capabilities.

Institutional dimension

• Contribute to the objectives of the Universidad Austral which proposes to “serve society through the search for truth, through the development and transmission of knowledge, the training in virtues and the attention to each person according to their transcendent destiny, exercising intellectual, professional, social and public leadership.”
• To stimulate research and the training of health professionals, with a strong scientific, technical and human focus.
• Promote an ethical vision of respect for human life and for people.

social dimension

• To train graduates who are characterized by their commitment to the society of which they are a part, contributing to the resolution of the problems of the discipline at the local, national and regional levels.
• To train graduates with critical judgment and scientific rigor, capable of making contributions that allow us to respond to the health problems of the immediate and broader community.

Specific dimension

• To deepen and consolidate skills in epidemiology, disease prevention and control, and the management of infection prevention and control programs.
• Recognize the complexity of managing infection control programs within the health, legal, political, and institutional frameworks of healthcare organizations.
• To provide students with tools to understand the complexity of the field of human resources in health and infection control
• To ensure the development of a critical attitude in the reading of scientific publications.
• Participate in operational research and research projects with intervention in the control of Healthcare-Associated Infections.
• Participate in, design and/or advise on local plans to improve the quality of clinical care with a focus on the promotion, prevention and control of infections.
• To practice based on the recognition of the dignity of the person, showing attentiveness to the needs of quality care for the patient and the family.
• Develop leadership skills and teamwork habits with different professionals, contributing to a safe environment.

The Master's Degree in Infection Prevention and Control has a curriculum of thirteen subjects and two Final Project seminars that are taught over two years.

Total Working Hours: 758 hours.

First year:

• Introduction to Healthcare-Associated Infections.
• Institutional Analysis and Infection Control Program.
• Infection surveillance.
• Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections I.
• Fundamentals of Anthropology.
• Bioethics.
• Practice I.

Second year:

• Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections II.
• Special areas.
• Research Methodology. I. Protocols.
• Research Methodology II Data Analysis.
• Final Project Workshop I.
• Education and communication.
• Practice II.
• Final Project Workshop II.

Theoretical training:

The theoretical training will be divided into topics that integrate knowledge from different disciplines regarding the epidemiology of infections in the hospital, other health centers and the community, institutional analysis, implementation of continuous process improvement and education.

It will be developed through lectures, case presentations and resolution, discussion groups, and active participation in the campus forum as a method for collaborative learning.

Practical training

Practical training will be provided through practical work sessions in the different subjects, as well as those planned in the subjects Practice I and Practice II.

In-person meetings

• 3 intensive face-to-face meetings from Monday to Saturday
• April 6-11, Cerrito venue, CABA
• August 10-15, Pilar venue, Buenos Aires
• November 23-28, Pilar venue, Buenos Aires

Schedule of in-person classes 

• Monday to Friday from 8 am to 18 pm and Saturdays from 8 am to 14 pm

Remote meetings

• Synchronous: Every 15 days on Thursdays from 14-20 pm
• Asynchronous: Classes available every 15 days.

To access the Master's Degree in Infection Prevention and Control, the following is required:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Medicine or other health-related qualifications of 4 years or more in duration.
• Have a minimum of two years of experience in the health field.
• Conduct a personal interview with the Career Directors, in order to learn about aspects related to: personal trajectory, ability to read and understand text in English, future projection, extension activities and personal interests, mediated by the virtual or face environment.
• One-page letter explaining your interest in participating in the postgraduate program.

Documentation of undergraduate degrees:

• The applicant must present their degree issued by an Argentine university, duly legalized and with a copy of the same, or a certificate of degree in process, if they are at that stage.
• If undergraduate studies have not been completed in the Universidad AustralThe official academic transcript from the university where the degree was obtained, along with a copy of the transcript showing the grades obtained in each subject, must be included. Upon review of these documents, the photocopies will be certified and the originals returned to the applicant.
• Applicants to the Career whose degrees have been awarded by educational institutions in foreign countries must comply with current national legislation on the matter, and with the regulations related to this particular situation issued by the Board of Directors of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

1. To receive the application link and program fees, please complete the form. "Contact us."
2. complete the application form which you will receive in your email.
3. The documentation submitted and the applicants' backgrounds are evaluated.
4. Master's candidates have a personal interview, via videoconference, with the Program Directors.
5. The final selection of applicants is made, and then the registration is carried out.

If you are currently a student or have been a student of the program (regular or not), you can perform the following procedures at the following link:

• Academic consultations
• Paperwork
• Reintegrations
• Retaking subjects
• Loss of regularity
• Virtual campus
• Other inquiries

• Austral University Hospital, Buenos Aires – Pilar.
• Neuquén Provincial Hospital “Eduardo Castro Rendón”, Neuquén.

SADI – Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases.

Dear Postgraduate Participant, we would like to inform you of the latest updates regarding the tuition policies for our undergraduate and postgraduate programs:

Due to the complex economic situation in Argentina, the tuition fees for our programs and degrees are adjusted periodically. This is to preserve the academic quality that underpins our value proposition and to meet the University's commitments and obligations. These increases will be based on indicators reported by the Central Bank of Argentina.

Once again, we appreciate the trust you have placed in our University and renew our commitment to providing you with the highest level of training and professional development.

• Payment Policies: The participant must pay or confirm their payment method and/or fee at least 72 hours prior to the start of the activity through the means mentioned in the FEES section.
  • Duty: Accepted payment methods: VISA, Mastercard and American Express debit and credit cards, Decidir and Mercado Pago.
  • Due to current regulations, the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences cannot receive cash. For this reason, only electronic payment methods will be accepted during activity accreditation.
• Cancellation policy prior to the start of the course: Cancellations must be made at least 96 hours in advance through a formal channel by sending an email to posgradofcb@austral.edu.ar placing in the subject WITHDRAWAL REQUEST – “Name of Course/Activity” (In the body of the message, you must include your personal information: name and surname, ID number).
• Cancellation policy during the course (not applicable to short courses): The participant must send an email to posgradofcb@austral.edu.ar with the subject line "Withdrawal Request" – "Course/Activity Name" (include your personal information in the body of the message: first and last name, ID). The withdrawal must be sent between the 1st and 10th of the current month. The corresponding fee will be billed and debited starting on the 11th.
• Refund Policy: If you do not participate in the program and/or activity, and do not process the corresponding withdrawal request in a timely manner, no refund requests will be accepted.
• Tuition refund policy: The registration fee serves as a deposit to reserve a place and is non-refundable once paid. If you request to withdraw, your enrollment status for that activity during the current academic period will be considered.
• Partial refund policy: In the event that the student/participant has made the full payment for the course in advance or has made advance payments through open plans:

1. If the activity has not started: You will be able to recover 100% of the advance payments at the current value at the time of payment, less 5% for administrative expenses.
2. If the activity started and progressed to 30% of the total course time: 50% of the advance payments will be refunded at the current value at the time of payment, less 5% for administrative expenses.
3. If the activity progressed more than 30% of the total course time: Advance payments will not be refunded.

• Replacement policy: If the registered person is unable to participate in the program and with prior notice of at least 96 hours before the date of the event, they may transfer their participation to a third party.
• Activities that grant a certificate of participation: The minimum required attendance of 70% of the academic program, its activities, and administrative debt must be met to request the corresponding certification.
• The discounts/promotions offered cannot be combined.
• The opening of the program or course is subject to the number of students enrolled at the time of its start.
• Procurement policies do not apply to non-tariff activities.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS:

How can I tell if my degree program has been accredited by CONEAU? For programs with ministerial accreditation, the resolution or file number and the corresponding accreditation year will be displayed at the top of the page. Programs without accreditation issue a certificate to participants, not a degree.