Note from the ACDIS Editor: Further your education with an ACDIS Scholarship!

by Jess Fluegel

The importance of education in the CDI field cannot be understated. It’s no wonder ACDIS has an entire committee dedicated to creating educational opportunities for the community! Now that all the CDI Week resources are published and the webinar is available, the next big opportunity that the Furthering Education Committee and I are excited to share is the ACDIS CDI Scholarship program, which is open to applications now!

If you haven’t heard, each year ACDIS opens applications to all current CDI professionals for the following four scholarships:

• Introduction to CDI Scholarship: A one-year ACDIS membership + enrollment in the ACDIS CDI Apprenticeship program
• Professional Development Scholarship: Registration to an online CDI Boot Camp of the recipient's choice
• Pre-Conference Scholarship: Registration to the ACDIS Symposium: Outpatient CDI or Physician Advisor Forum
• Melissa Varnavas Scholarship: Registration to the ACDIS national conference

The purpose of this program is to assist CDI professionals in enhancing their careers with further education and to increase collaboration among their colleagues by sharing knowledge. If this sounds like an opportunity you or a colleague would benefit from, please make sure to review the following information!

Eligibility to apply

Applicants must be active in the CDI field, working in the profession. They must be able to demonstrate that fact with a recommendation letter from their manager or supervisor that includes written employment verification, organization name, dates of employment, and why they are recommending the applicant. Recipients must continue to work in the CDI profession during the scholarship term to maintain eligibility.

Candidates who have completed the ACDIS CDI Apprenticeship certificate program, but are not yet working in the CDI field, will be eligible for consideration for the ACDIS membership and online Boot Camp awards.

Previous ACDIS Scholarship recipients may not reapply. ACDIS Advisory Board members, ACDIS staff, and other currently serving board and committee members are not eligible.

Judging criteria and process

The application period will remain open until November 15, after which the Furthering Education Committee will meet to review each scholarship application and provide feedback on a number of candidate traits, including but not limited to:

• Professional background and time in the CDI field
• Existing educational resources and financial need
• Recommendations from peers
• Overall strength of written responses

The review period will begin in November and conclude in late January/early February depending on number of applicants. Once the scholarship committee has completed their reviews and made selections, the committee coordinator (that’s me!) will reach out to the recipients and other applicants and publicize the chosen winners.

Since it may take a bit of time to prepare your recommendation, second reference, and other materials (click here for the full list!), don’t wait to get started if you are one of many CDI professionals out there who love continuing education but may not have access to the opportunity! We’d love to receive your application.

If you have any questions about eligibility, the judging process, or the application itself, feel free to contact me!

Editor’s note: Fluegel is the editor for ACDIS. Contact her at jess.fluegel@hcpro.com.