The goal of this course is to provide providers with training on suicide assessment, treatment, and management that meets the regulatory standards of the state of Washington.

Recognizing, understanding, and addressing patient behaviors, as well as the rationales behind these behaviors, is critical to successfully manage patients and to protect practitioners and their practices. This course will review 3 major areas complicating patient care: drug diversion, SUD, and pain management considerations in patients with SUD.

This course for nurses and physicians describes how to assess pediatric pain and recognize the barriers to effectively treating such pain. You will learn pharmacological and nonpharmacological management options and the complexities of managing pain in special populations. You will come away better equipped to appropriately assess and treat pediatric pain in your own setting.

This course explains the eligibility, benefits, and administration of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Also discussed are the implications of the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid and CHIP.

This course explains Medicare health plan options other than the original Medicare. It was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace.

In this course, you will learn about the major categories of medications used in the treatment of mental illness, including antipsychotics, antianxiety medications, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers. You will also learn about the different medications’ indications for use and some of their most common side effects. You will find out about some of the precautions that apply to specific populations taking psychiatric medications, such as older adults and psychiatric medication use during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Hepatic failure is one of the leading causes of death in this country. According to the American Liver Foundation (ALF), one in 10 Americans—approximately 30 million people—has some form of hepatic failure, with 16,000 such patients currently on the transplant list waiting for a new liver. So you can better manage and care for this patient population, this course presents the causes, symptoms, risk factors, complications, treatment strategies, and characteristics of hepatic failure.

In this course, you will learn the scope of medical and treatment errors within the overall healthcare system and specifically in behavioral health settings. You will explore the types of medical errors, including error-prone situations, and the use of root cause analysis to determine why and how an error occurred. You will explore some best practices that will help improve client safety and outcomes within your organization. Finally, you will learn your responsibilities regarding the reporting of medical errors. With this information, you will be empowered to create a safe environment in which clients can get the care they need.

Alcohol use can have a destructive effect on individuals, as well as their families and loved ones. The main goal of this course is to give you in-depth knowledge about research concerning the impact of alcohol use disorders on families, as well as the family’s impact on the development and persistence of alcohol use. You will learn the fundamentals of the family systems approach that are essential for you to understand the complicated dynamics of families struggling to deal with the impact of alcohol use disorders. You also will learn about factors that influence recovery, as well as the effectiveness of specific intervention models that are used for substance abuse. Furthermore, you will be able to identify specific risk factors that are related to developing an alcohol use disorder. Vignettes and interactive exercises give you the opportunity to apply these concepts so that you can expand your effectiveness with the families you encounter in your work. This course is intended for entry and intermediate level healthcare professionals.

This course explains how the coordination of benefits works when people have Medicare and certain other types of health coverage. Module 5, Coordination of Benefits, explains the rules that govern payers’ responsibilities when people have Medicare and certain other types of health and/or prescription drug coverage. This module was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace. This course is designed for trainers and other information givers who are familiar with the Medicare program. It can be easily adapted for presentations to groups of beneficiaries.

Annually in this country, an average of 800,000 patient hospitalizations involve mechanical ventilation, with an estimated cost of 27 billion dollars, or 12 percent of all hospital costs. Proper ventilator management techniques are imperative in providing safe, quality patient care. This course discusses related respiratory physiology, modes of ventilation, commonly referenced ventilator values, principles for managing the mechanically ventilated patient, and the pharmacology of pain and sedation used during mechanical ventilation. Applying this information in your healthcare setting will help to ensure optimal outcomes for your patients.

This course explains Medicare-Covered Preventive Services, and was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace. It includes information on which preventive services are covered, who can receive them, when said services are covered, how much you pay, and where to get more information.

This course on CMS Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) explains how Medigap policies work with Medicare, what Medigap policies cover, how Medigap policies are structured, and when to buy a policy. Included are definitions of key terms, an explanation of guaranteed issue rights, and where to get information on Medigap rights and protections.

Caregivers who work with older adults with dementia often report that the biggest obstacles they face are related to managing challenging behaviors. This course offers a clinically based overview of such behaviors, along with the most common effects of the pharmacological agents used to treat these behaviors. You will learn practical techniques to use in your own setting to help you determine the most effective strategies for managing the people you serve.

The public-health problem of domestic violence requires all members of the community to recognize, address, report, and prevent it. Because healthcare professionals often work closely with victims, they are in a unique position to be able to recognize domestic violence. This course provides information on recognizing and responding to domestic violence, and presents strategies you can use to report and even prevent it.

This course will provide you with information about the numerous risk and protective factors of suicide. You will learn effective screening approaches you can use to identify elevated risk. You will also learn how to follow a positive screening with an in-depth clinical assessment, including several different models you can use to guide your assessment. The goal of this course is to provide alcohol and drug counseling, marriage and family therapy, counseling, psychology, and social work professionals in health and human services with skills to identify individuals at increased risk of suicide.

You will learn about the three different presentations of ADHD along with key behaviors of each. In addition to specific diagnostic criteria of ADHD, you will learn how to identify typical symptoms, particularly how symptoms manifest differently in individuals of different ages.

This course also discusses some of the possible causes of ADHD as well as current treatment options for children, teenagers, and young adults, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. A series of experiential lessons and interactive exercises will help you practice and apply what you have learned.

One of the areas governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is the use and disclosure of written and verbal communications that mental health and substance-use disorder providers (behavioral health providers) have with each individual client; with the individual's family members and friends; and with other professionals, health plans, and law enforcement officials; along with the documentation requirements associated with each type of communication. This course addresses some of the most common HIPAA-related legal and ethical challenges faced by behavioral health professionals, including those who work in hospitals, clinics, community mental health centers, addiction treatment centers, and private practices. This course will improve your understanding of HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and how they apply to your day-to-day professional responsibilities as a behavioral healthcare provider. You'll be better equipped to identify potential legal and ethical issues related to HIPAA, improve your compliance approach, and develop more effective risk management strategies (in consultation with appropriate legal counsel, as needed).

This course focuses specifically on early interventions that are designed to reduce suicide risk. You will learn how these early interventions impact suicide risk. You will also learn of examples and the role that programs highlighting connectedness, life skills, and resilience play in preventing suicide. The goal of this course is to provide social work, psychology, nursing, alcohol and drug counseling, marriage and family therapy, and counseling professionals in health and human services with information about community-based, upstream suicide prevention approaches. 

This course is designed to help you distinguish between legal, ethical, and standard of care issues. It is designed to serve as a guide to help you understand the law and make ethical decisions in your work, as well as develop risk management and compliance strategies to help you avoid disciplinary actions and claims of malpractice. You will also learn about informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, professional boundaries, and use of technology, among other issues. Taking this course can help you prepare for and recognize legal and ethical concerns. However, you will also need to familiarize yourself with the specific laws, ethical codes, organizational policies, and standards of care that apply to your practice. Professional organizations and associations, state licensing boards, and attorneys familiar with behavioral health law can help you access information relevant to your work. Please note, the content in this course is designed to heighten clinicians’ general awareness of legal and ethical concerns. It is not offered as legal advice for any individual provider or specific situation.

The Health and Medicine Division’s (HMD) (formerly the Institute of Medicine) Healthy People 2020 and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have highlighted the health disparities affecting LGBTQ populations. As evidence of health-illness patterns continues to be reported in the literature, this module presents the complex social determinants of health unique among the LGBTQ community. Information will be analyzed based on the four conceptual perspectives for understanding LGBTQ health suggested by the HMD: minority stress, intersectionality, life-course framework, and social ecology.

A critical step for service providers in receiving reimbursement is to submit treatment-planning documentation. This course reinforces what you already know about plans of care, while offering suggestions for capturing the real therapeutic relationship on paper. You will learn how to hone in on core principles for clinical documentation; take a fresh look at ways to record your client’s strengths, goals, and treatment objectives; and evaluate methods of accurately representing interventions, outcomes, and discharge plans.

Given the significant impact medical errors can have on health and safety, all licensed professionals caring for patients must understand how these errors occur and how to prevent them. This course will discuss factors that increase the risk for medical errors and how the root cause analysis process and other evidence-based strategies can aid in preventing them. In addition, five of the most misdiagnosed medical conditions will be reviewed, along with strategies for prevention. 

As a behavioral health professional, you know how challenging it can be to understand the complexities of diagnosing and treating personality disorders. Drawing upon guidelines from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and current empirical literature, this course offers you a comprehensive look at the etiology, categories, and diagnostic criteria for personality disorders while considering differential diagnoses and co-occurring disorders. Lastly, this course offers information on best practices for the treatment of personality disorders.

The perioperative nurse plays a primary role in the operative process. Knowledge of procedures, appropriate patient assessment, and care management guidelines will positively impact patient outcomes. Patients consider anesthesia to be a major risk of surgery and expect perioperative team members to be their advocates by caring for their pre-, intra-, and post-operative needs and providing safe and effective care. This course discusses anesthetics and adjuvant medications used in the clinical setting, anesthesia-related complications, and the nurse’s role in management of perioperative patients.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is increasingly being viewed as the most important development in the counseling field in the last 30 years. This course for people in helping professions explains MI’s core principles and how to apply them through such skills and techniques as establishing rapport and commitment language and eliciting change talk. Through a blend of interactive exercises and instructive information—including recent empirical research supporting MI’s effectiveness—you will learn the crucial importance of matching interventions to individuals and stages of change in order to improve the likelihood of success.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is an effective, yet underused, approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder. Misconceptions about what MAT is, how it is used, and whether it is helpful, are common. Your clients with opioid use disorder may share these misconceptions, creating a barrier to treatment. By taking this course, you will have information that you can share with your clients and their family members about what MAT is, how it helps, its major components, and the medications used in MAT. Note: If you are a prescriber, this course does not meet the federal requirements to qualify for a waiver to prescribe and dispense buprenorphine. You will need to pursue additional training to meet those requirements. The goal of this educational program is to provide alcohol and drug counseling, nursing, professional counseling, social work, and psychology professionals in health and human services settings with an overview of what MAT is, how it helps individuals with opioid use disorder, and the medications used in MAT programs.

The outlook for people with schizophrenia has improved over the last 25 years. Although there is no cure yet, it is important to remember that many people can manage the illness to lead independent, satisfying lives. The main goal of this course is to provide you with the information and current research you need to better understand how to collaborate in the treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

This course provides an overview of how anxiety impacts children and adolescents. You will learn about the specific types of anxiety disorders and the multiple pathways by which anxiety can develop. As you progress through this course, you will learn assessment strategies and evidence-based interventions that you can implement to identify and treat these disorders in children and adolescents.

Thoracentesis, also known as thoracocentesis or pleural tap, can be stressful not only for patients and their families, but also for the interdisciplinary team of practitioners involved in the care surrounding this invasive procedure. This course discusses the physiological, pharmacological, and procedural principles surrounding thoracentesis so you can better manage all stages of the procedure and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

The two most common trauma-related disorders are acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goal of this educational program is to provide nurses, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and psychologists in health and human services settings with information on the diagnostic criteria for acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, steps in the diagnostic process, and psychological and pharmacological interventions to treat PTSD.

This course examines the factors that may contribute to the underutilization of healthcare services, as well as ways to improve cultural understanding and competency in healthcare treatment. More specifically, this course covers the significance of cultural diversity, demographics, as well as individual and cultural diversity factors. The information in this training proposes some helpful conceptual frameworks for embracing cultural considerations in healthcare.

Aneurysms are known as silent killers. Without early detection and prompt intervention, their mortality rate can reach as high as 90 to 100 percent. A number of commonly found risk factors and comorbidities can increase the risk of developing an aneurysm. To help you achieve quality outcomes for your patients, this course discusses the symptoms of a potential aneurysm, how to identify aneurysm types and their physical location, and common techniques used in managing the patient with an aneurysm.

This second presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

Emergency department (ED) healthcare providers may serve patients who present with symptoms of a behavioral health disorder. In some situations, the ED provider administers psychiatric medications to the patient, while in others it is prudent to wait until the patient is admitted to an inpatient mental health facility or is seen as an outpatient. Often the reason for presentation in the ED is an adverse reaction to a psychiatric medication itself. This course discusses major categories of medications used in treating mental health disorders; precautions for special populations, such as older adults and pregnant and nursing patients; and the major adverse reactions produced by psychiatric medications that are often seen in an ED setting.

This course will provide an overview of innovative ways that data are being applied to improve healthcare costs, quality, and outcomes. You will begin with a broad perspective of what experts are calling the “data revolution” in healthcare, or the “age of big data,” and dive into what this means from a technology perspective. Following this, you will learn how data are being applied in ways never before seen by payers and providers to drive healthcare improvement through an analytic approach.

Next, you will dig down to the micro level of healthcare data application within the payer setting. You will examine the different ways in which data are helping payers to improve overall population health, manage healthcare costs, and inform the creation of innovative pilot programs. Finally, you will learn about the application of healthcare data from the case management perspective within the payer setting. An overview will be provided about member case management selection, the intersection of healthcare data and member preference, and how data are being used to inform best practices through medical necessity criteria and clinical guidelines.

This course is intended for all case managers and care coordinators with payer organizations.

As the number of older adults increases, especially those who are older and frailer, the incidence of elder abuse is expected to increase. Mistreatment of older adults often occurs in isolation and often remains undetected. The first step to addressing the problem is to heighten awareness of abuse of the old, in particular among those who serve them or have frequent contact with them. Throughout this course, you will learn about types of elder abuse, indicators, consequences, risk factors of abuse, and interventions. You will have the opportunity to test what you have learned in each section through brief quizzes. The course also offers typical elder abuse case scenarios drawn from actual case material from Adult Protective Services or other elder abuse program caseloads.

Diabetes is not an uncommon condition in today’s healthcare systemthe U.S.. This high-volume condition can be managed very effectively, but diabetes disease management can also become very complicated. How can patients learn to manage their own diabetes? What strategies are most effective in teaching patient self-care? By creating an action plan with their patients, primary care providers can not only help to improve patient outcomes, but they can also empower the patients to take a bigger role in their own their disease management. When patients take on more responsibility for their care, resources (both time and economic) are freed up and can be allocated to other patients or areas of need. However, creating an action plan requires input from both the primary care provider and the patient, and no two plans are likely to be the same. Factors such as finances, living situation, or other social determinants of health must all must be considered when putting together a plan. A patient’s diet may also play a role. In this module, the topics of action plans, the social determinants of health, and nutritional counseling will be explored.

The goal of this course is to provide case/care management, nursing, and social work professionals with information about diabetes management.

In the United States, the use and abuse of opioids, whether through prescriptions or illegal means, has reached epidemic proportions. The problem is compounded by the use of opioids during pregnancy. This course presents best practices for identifying and managing pregnant women who have opioid-use disorder, including screening, treatment recommendations, pain management, complications, and postpartum recommendations.

Healthcare and behavioral health professionals providing services on the front lines of a sustained health crisis are exposed to traumatic events on a regular basis. Staff deemed essential have little escape from the grueling demands of their daily work. Professional self-care routines are often insufficient or seemingly impossible during times of heavy demand. Without healthy work-life balance, effective self-care practices, and social connection, maladaptive coping mechanisms may surface or return. Many professionals experience feelings of helplessness when, despite their best efforts, they are unable to provide clinical solutions for their clients or patients. Based on what is known about trauma, it is imperative for professionals to effectively address self-care needs in a timely manner, for themselves and for those they serve.

This course provides detailed information about the pathophysiology, disease trajectory, and unique symptoms experienced by patients with advanced neurological diseases. Learners will identify the clinical features of advanced Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease as well as best practices for symptom management. In addition, the key clinical indicators and symptoms that should serve as triggers to optimally transition a patient with advanced neurological diseases to palliative and hospice care are presented. The unique disease-related stressors for family caregivers are discussed. The goal of this course is to provide nurses in hospice with knowledge of caring for people with end-stage neurological diseases.

Ensuring that a healthcare system is culturally competent can reduce health disparities. Healthcare employees who have effective interpersonal and working relationships are essential to successful healthcare outcomes. Healthcare staff provide care to individuals from many backgrounds, so it is essential that they get proper Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training. DEI training should be integrated into the standard hiring and onboarding process for the entire healthcare workforce. The goal of this course is to provide healthcare employees with training about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, client-centered approach to engaging people in conversations about change. Shown to be effective in a variety of settings, MI is increasingly being adopted by therapists, substance-use-disorder counselors, and healthcare workers to help clients make important behavioral changes. This course is for practitioners who are already familiar with the core skills used in MI (along with its four processes), and who would like to improve their ability to use this approach more effectively with a broad range of clients or apply MI concepts to group therapy.

Rates of suicide among youth continue to increase, making it essential for behavioral health clinicians and other professionals working with adolescents and transition-age youth to understand the dynamics of suicide among young people. After providing a foundation on how widespread the problem is and the prevailing theories about the drivers of suicidal behaviors, this course will teach you about how to effectively screen potentially suicidal youth and ways you can intervene to lower their risk. The goal of this course is to provide alcohol and drug counseling, behavioral counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, and social work professionals in health and human services settings with skills for reducing suicide risk in adolescents and transition-age youth.

This module presents an overview of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and its contentious history with the healthcare systems. Definitions of key concepts related to sexuality and gender variables and general implications for clinical education, practice, and research will be discussed. The goal of this educational course for social work, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, speech language pathology and audiology, medical, and physical therapy professionals is to enhance the understanding of issues that the LGBTQ community has when navigating and using the healthcare system. In this module, the acronym LGBTQ will be used when referring to all groups (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer). In cases where the literature cited refers specifically to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender populations, the course will use corresponding initials.

The incorporation of screening for alcohol use disorders in a general medical setting can significantly increase the number of individuals with alcohol use disorders who are identified and treated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 4 medications to treat alcohol use disorder, making treatment in primary care and other general medical settings a viable alternative to specialty care. This course will give you valuable information about these medications as well as several medications used off-label, empowering those you serve and increasing the likelihood of their recovery.

Care plans are developed to help residents attain and maintain physical, mental and psychosocial well-being while in your care. The purpose of this course is to provide information on the care plan framework so that you can work together as a team to develop comprehensive care plans that maximize the well-being of each resident. The module covers the use of care area triggers, resources and CAA summary so that decision making can be supported and documented in the care of the resident.

Strategies for successful engagement of clients, especially those who are either not ready or willing to change, are desperately needed. While there are significant systemic barriers to engagement including the proximity and accessibility of services and high costs of care (Kazdin, 2017), treatment providers also influence the extent to which clients engage in treatment. This course is intended for licensed clinicians and will provide information about the challenges of engagement, as well as specific strategies that providers can use to promote engagement in treatment for individuals with substance use and other behavioral health conditions.

The OR is a complex environment. Highly trained individuals interact in a specialized setting with sophisticated and technically complicated devices, instruments, and equipment. There also are substantial differences among team members related to education, experience, skill level, influence, and formal and informal power. This module will inform nurses and surgical technologists of the evidence-based steps to take to create a culture of safety in the OR.

At the organizational level, routine implementation of evidence-based practices that can identify and intervene with at-risk individuals, has been lacking for many years and remains so in many settings. The goal of this course is to provide knowledge about evidence-based, suicide-specific interventions. This course for healthcare professionals will focus on working with at-risk individuals focuses on interventions for those who have made a recent suicide attempt or who are at risk due to suicidal thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Also discussed are ways to summarize the process for completing a safety plan and for reducing access to lethal means.

The goal of this course is to provide providers in health and human services settings with skills for preventing suicide among veterans.

This course will focus on the biological and psychosocial factors that are unique to adolescents and that impact their vulnerability to the negative effects of opioid use. You will increase your understanding of the scope of opioid use disorders among adolescents and young adults and improve your ability to effectively identify and treat problematic, nonmedical use of prescription and other opioids. 

The goal of this course is to provide addictions, behavioral health counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, and social work professionals in health and human services with information on the development, prevalence, and treatment of opioid use disorders in adolescent and young adult populations.

This training introduces you to several models to enhance your communication with individuals from a range of diverse backgrounds. You will also learn about cultural barriers to treatment, several health belief systems, and factors to consider in a culturally responsive assessment. It is worth noting that culture is always at play, regardless of the healthcare provider’s capacity to recognize and/or respond to it appropriately.

In this course, you will learn about the effects of age and life transitions on alcohol and drug use in women and how these are reflected in treatment methodologies. A host of stressors and life transitions can be accompanied by significant changes in substance use and can be implicated in women's development of a substance use disorder. You will learn ways that you can provide gender-sensitive treatment to women struggling with substance use or at risk of developing a substance use disorder. The goal of this educational program is to provide marriage and family counseling, nursing, professional counseling, social work, and psychology professionals in health and human services settings with information about substance use treatment for women at various stages of development.

This first presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

This course will guide you through understanding best practices in incident report writing. It will assist you in understanding how those practices help protect the health and safety of the person you support, while at the same time protecting you. In this course, you will identify factors that affect the quality of incident reports and investigate elements that affect memory and recall. You will focus on reducing factors that negatively impact the completeness and accuracy of incident reports. Demonstrating your understanding of the guidelines taught in this course will ensure your documentation adheres to legal, ethical, and programmatic standards. While completing this course, you will review incident report notes and apply what you have learned to identify unclear, subjective, and ungrammatical elements within the notes. This course is intended for direct support professionals

This final presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

This third presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

This fourth presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

This fifth presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

This course will offer a blend of ethical and legal information, clinical vignettes, and strategies that can later be applied in therapeutic settings. The content of this course includes information about informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, boundaries, mandatory reporting, and rules for sharing information. The course assumes the learner has a basic understanding of telehealth technologies and formats. To learn more, you can search the Relias library for additional courses related to telehealth.

The goal of this course is to provide addictions professionals, behavioral health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses in health and human services settings with strategies and information for competent and ethical telehealth practice.

Pain management in the emergency department relies heavily on the use of opioid analgesics, which generates risk for patients to develop long term opioid use or an opioid use disorder.  Multimodal analgesia can improve the patient experience and reduce the risks of opioid use if emergency providers approach pain with a more critical mindset.This activity is designed to help emergency providers improve management of pain while decreasing patient exposure to opioids.  It is also designed to help providers navigate how to manage patients with opioid use disorder.

This course was created to give you the tools you need to accurately identify individuals with BPD and provide you information about the treatment options available. You will learn about how BPD develops, the theoretical perspectives and conflicting theories of BPD, the goals of treatment, and the challenges you might experience when working with this population. Finally, you will learn some of the most common issues that individuals with BPD experience while in treatment.

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), or strokes, are a    leading cause of death in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2021). Patient prognosis and the preservation of functional status are highly dependent on receiving prompt, timely treatment. A thorough understanding of stroke pathophysiology is crucial, as is assessing, diagnosing, and determining the appropriate plan of care. With this understanding, clinicians will be better equipped to make the best possible decisions in the provision of care for their patients.

This course for entry-level nurses, direct-care staff, and dietary professionals provides information on basic medication actions, with a focus on the physiological changes and potential reactions specific to older adults. Included are federal requirements related to antipsychotic medication prescriptions and administration.

As a healthcare professional, you have often heard the adage that says, "If you didn’t document something, you didn’t do it." It is no longer true that you can be exempt from malpractice or negligence claims because you were following orders. As a professional in the healthcare industry, you are expected to be familiar with many aspects of care. If you are a nurse, you are responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care. If you are a social worker, you are responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating psychosocial care. What you document can and does reflect the care provided and the resulting outcome when the documentation is factual, complete, timely, and detailed. In this course, you will learn about concepts and rules regarding documentation in the medical record as it relates to negligence, malpractice, and civil litigation.

This course describes how key terms within the Emergency Medical Treatment And Labor Act (EMTALA) are interpreted and how they apply to hospitals with a dedicated emergency department. Included is a review of cases in which EMTALA violations have been alleged and courts have applied judgments.

The U.S. is one of just eight countries to see a rise in maternal mortality during the past decade, with a ranking of 60 out of 180 countries for maternal deaths. High-risk pregnancies with mothers who are surviving childhood conditions into adulthood are among the reasons for the high rate; however, a large proportion of maternal deaths are still considered preventable, indicating that further improvement is possible. This course provides comprehensive knowledge about medical conditions the pregnant woman might face and how access to other disciplines such as cardiology, dermatology and rheumatology may improve the health and outcomes for the mother and fetus.

With healthcare policies shifting from fee-for-service to performance-based payment models that hold providers accountable for poor outcomes, a better understanding of factors that contribute to non-adherence is needed, along with effective strategies for improvement. This course covers the wide array of contributing forces behind non-adherence, along with evidence-based interventions for optimizing outcomes. You will also learn how to apply interventions best suited to individual patients based on their needs and risks related to adherence.

One of the hormones used by the endocrine system to finely regulate and maintain the human body is Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH). By increasing water absorption, ADH helps control the body’s fluid balance when the circulating blood volume becomes too low. However, a condition known as Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH) develops when an excessive amount of ADH is secreted or when the body has an increased response to ADH. In this course, you will learn about SIADH, how to identify patients at risk and their clinical presentation, nursing care for those with SIADH, how to identify complications associated with treatment, and the monitoring required for prevention.

While strokes can be fatal, symptoms of stroke can be abetted if the patient is treated early enough. Educating patients on stroke prevention is vital for those who are at risk to avoid a medical emergency. In addition, it is important for healthcare providers (HCPs) to understand the etiological risk factors for stroke, as well as management techniques for patients who have already suffered a stroke.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia. It affects approximately 2.7 million people in the U.S. and is a leading risk factor for stroke (AHA, 2016). AF is most commonly seen in patients who are over age 60 years. Many patients with AF are asymptomatic, making it difficult to diagnose. AF can increase the risk of stroke if not diagnosed and treated. Approximately 15% of people who experience a stroke have AF (AHA, 2016). Strokes resulting from AF can be prevented with early screening, diagnosis, and intervention.

While bronchoscopy provides valuable diagnostic and therapeutic benefits, it also carries risk for complications, some potentially life-threatening. This course for nurses in the acute care facility discusses conditions for which bronchoscopy is used, its potential benefits, and its possible complications. You will also learn identify safety risks for staff, patients, and visitors, as well as describe nursing interventions before, during, and after a bronchoscopy.

Depression and suicide are among the top public health concerns facing older adult populations. Older adults encounter changes physically, cognitively, and psychosocially that often contribute to the onset of depression. Further, older adult populations have among the highest incident rates of suicide than any other age group, which makes appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression in this population even more critical. This course will provide an overview of some physical, cognitive, and psychosocial factors that could be contributing to depression in an older adult, as well as important information on recognizing risk factors and warning signs of depression in this population. Additionally, information related to evidence-based treatment strategies for older adult populations will be discussed along with the importance of monitoring treatment adherence.

Rising costs of health care in the United States have required clinicians to utilize cost-effective measures in patient management. Not only is laboratory testing one of the most effective evaluative tools available, it is also the most fiscally responsible. Minute changes in expected values can indicate a considerable change in a patient’s status. The ability to confidently identify abnormal results in frequently measured labs, comprehend their pathophysiological meaning, and treat or monitor the cause enables healthcare workers in acute-care facilities to provide proper patient management. This course will also help you understand the physiology of acid-base balance and be able to identify select disturbances so you can ensure the highest level of care for your patients.

All health centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) must have in place a system to improve patient care and outcomes, which is your center’s quality improvement (QI) program. While the primary benefit is improving patient care and outcomes, there are also financial benefits. The Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $36.3 million to fund centers that meet or exceed quality improvement measures. Although most health centers have established some QI functions, this course will enable you to take a comprehensive approach to implementing QI systems. You will learn about the essentials of QI infrastructure, systems, and programs, along with how to identify quality-related problems using proactive strategies, such as peer review and patient satisfaction surveys, as well as reactive strategies, such as patient complaint tracking systems. Also included is how to put the FOCUS-PDSA model into action.

This course presents an overview of multicultural care and service delivery. You will be guided through the national standards in the United States for working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, along with key concepts that relate to your role in the alleviation of health disparities. Examples of individual and organizational applications of multicultural care will help you to apply these concepts in your own setting. You will learn about ways that you and your organization can improve quality of care by considering health literacy, cultural responsiveness, and structural disparities.

Rising costs of health care in the U.S. have required clinicians to utilize cost-effective measures in patient management. Not only is laboratory testing one of the most effective evaluative tools available, it is also the most fiscally responsible. Minute changes in expected values can indicate a considerable change in a patient status. The ability to confidently identify abnormal results in frequently measured labs, to comprehend the pathophysiological meaning, and to treat or monitor the cause enables healthcare workers in acute-care facilities to provide proper patient management. This course will also help you understand the physiology of acid-base balance and be able to identify select disturbances so you can ensure the highest level of care for your patients.

As they age, many patients find themselves developing one or more chronic diseases, but they don’t know how to navigate this country’s fragmented and exorbitantly expensive healthcare system in order to receive appropriate care. Care coordination by the medical team—providing additional services such as education and close monitoring of the disease process—has been shown to decrease healthcare costs while improving patients’ health. Unfortunately, standardized techniques or processes for care coordination are not in place. This course for nurses discusses care coordination’s process, its various components, current efforts, ideas for improvement, and a review of practical applications for your nursing practice.

Although palliative care can be a tremendous benefit for individuals with chronic, life-limiting conditions, many qualifying individuals are not referred to such care because of a lack of understanding of the services. Another point of confusion is how palliative care and hospice care differ. This course explains each type of care, including when they are appropriate, the services offered, team-member roles, and payer sources. Thus equipped, healthcare professionals can better advocate for the most appropriate care, provide education and guidance to individuals and their families, and, when necessary, ease the transition from palliative care to hospice care.

Opioids are used to treat severe pain but also include serious risks if the medication is misused. The misuse of prescribed and illicit opioids contributes to rising numbers of opioid overdose deaths. This course will provide you with an overview of opioid use disorder, detailed information to gather during a comprehensive assessment, and treatment options to implement with clients diagnosed with opioid use disorder. 

Pharmacological management is both an art and a science. This course serves to provide an understanding of the basic mechanisms of action found in commonly used classes of cardiac agents. It is aimed to equip the clinician with the didactic pharmacological knowledge required to properly manage various cardiac conditions.

In just over a year, COVID-19 has changed how healthcare is delivered in the U.S. Guidelines governing preventive measures, including how we interact with everyone from patients to members of our own families, have undergone a process of near-constant evolution. Treatment recommendations have been regularly updated as scientists and providers have learned more about how the virus affects the human body. This course provides an overview of the latest information about the virus, preventing transmission, illness classification and treatment of patients with symptomatic disease, and currently authorized vaccines.

Ensuring that employees are free from harassment in a safe and healthy work environment is key to achieving your company's goals. This course examines various types of workplace harassment, the basic skills needed to understand and deal with such situations, and information concerning your role in ensuring a harassment-free work environment.

Suicide is the 17th leading cause of death worldwide and the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Early detection, assessment, and effective intervention are vital in caring for patients with medical illnesses who may also be suffering from depression. Patients with medical illness are at risk for depression, and depression may be complicating treatment and the ability to recuperate effectively. Underdiagnosed and undertreated depression may be taking an enormous toll on the resources of both the patient and the family. This course will teach healthcare professionals what makes a patient vulnerable to suicide, recognize and treat depression, and components of treatment plan.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) establishes new ways to reimburse physicians for providing care to Medicare beneficiaries. This course explores MACRA, its various quality measures, and ways you can implement change and sustain best practices.

In the United States, stroke affects some 795,000 people per year and is the fifth largest cause of death. Of those patients who survive, many experience impairments requiring special care. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a tool used to measure the severity of stroke symptoms and to aid in the identification of the injury location. The NIHSS has also been shown to strongly predict the likelihood of a patient’s recovery after stroke. This course will help clinicians in the acute care setting care for patients suffering from acute stroke. 

This simulation, intended to provide a challenging, real-world experience regarding the prevention of readmissions, includes best practices for care management, medication management, medication reconciliation, and screening.

People living with hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and congestive heart failure (CHF) are among healthcare payers’ highest cost members. People may have these conditions simultaneously, and having even just one of them—especially if not well-managed—often increases a patient's risk of developing the others. Early detection and treatment of hypertension reduces disease progression and drives down costs. This course provides evidence-based recommendations on how to provide clinically appropriate care, how to teach patients self-management techniques for their conditions and create an action plan, and how to identify other factors that could impact their condition.

Research indicates that screening and brief interventions by health-care professionals can have a significant impact on individuals with drug or alcohol difficulties. This course presents step-by-step guidelines about how to integrate screenings, how to conduct brief interventions that “meet people where they are” in their stage of change, and how to refer individuals to appropriate resources when they suffer from more severe substance issues. This training illustrates best practices using the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) approach outlined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. You will be equipped with the tools you need to successfully screen and provide brief interventions for substance use issues in your own health-care setting.

Anxiety disorders, the most common psychiatric illnesses, affect millions of American adults, filling their lives with overwhelming anxiety, fear, and uncertainty out of proportion to any actual danger. These symptoms often persist for significant periods of time, and if not treated, can grow progressively worse. Anxiety disorders frequently occur in conjunction with other psychiatric or physical illnesses, making symptoms even worse. This course provides an overview of signs and symptoms as well as the most effective psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments available. New and improved therapies can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. This course will help you recognize anxiety disorders in those you serve and implement the most appropriate form of treatment.

Mammography, the most widely used screening tool for breast cancer, has certain limitations. Several imaging modalities are being developed and improved to overcome mammography’s shortcomings. This course discusses how imaging techniques can reduce breast cancer mortality when used for routine screening and diagnosis, as well as for staging breast cancer, planning treatments, and monitoring response to chemotherapy.

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence can only be halted when the issue is brought to light, and the victims are fully supported by society. Abuse occurs to pregnant women more often than gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. This course describes the risks of intimate partner violence during pregnancy as well as screening and intervention strategies. 

The role of supervisor includes being a leader, a motivator, and a coach when guiding and directing others toward common goals. A supervisor’s success is enhanced with a proven set of characteristics, skills, and experiences that can help you effectively lead your organization, whether you are new to the role or have had some supervisory experience in the past. This course discusses specific skills, the qualities of good leadership, and approaches to enhance communication and time-management strategies to maximize your effectiveness as supervisor.

 As an employer or supervisor, you need to know what obligations the FMLA imposes on your organization when an employee requests leave from their job. This course will introduce you to key provisions of the FMLA such as which employees have rights under the FMLA and the circumstances under which they are eligible to take protected leave. Then, you’ll learn about your responsibilities both when an employee asks for leave and wants to return to work. Finally, you’ll learn how to comply with the FMLA and avoid potential pitfalls. The goal of this educational program is to provide administrators and human resource professionals with knowledge of FMLA.

Listening skills are an often-undeveloped component of effective communication. Leaders and managers with strong listening skills build more productive and engaged teams and increase their own effectiveness. In this course, you will learn the consequences of not listening effectively and how adapting the techniques of active listening will benefit you. You will develop a greater understanding of why and how managers and leaders must listen actively, not passively, to build stronger teams and increase their impact. You will learn the importance of establishing common ground and practicing empathy as you apply the techniques for becoming a better listener.

This course will introduce you to the influenza pandemic response and its three stages of preparation, response, and recovery. You will learn about the basic elements of a pandemic influenza plan and the steps needed to implement this plan when responding to pandemic levels of influenza in the community.

This course will examine the reasons for healthcare disparities among ethnic and racial minorities, the ways in which both the cultural backgrounds of patients and their clinicians can negatively impact patients’ mental health outcomes, and what kinds of actions clinicians can take to provide more effective care to patients of diverse cultures. The goal of this continuing education program is to familiarize nurses, physician, and social workers with the issues in and strategies for providing effective care to mental health patients of diverse cultures.

Hypertension is a pervasive condition in the U.S., and the lifetime risk of developing it is 80%. The guidelines recently changed, lowering blood pressure goals for managing hypertension. The new guidelines also put great emphasis on nonpharmacological therapies. This module explains the new guidelines and the recommended treatments.

Although gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing in the US, a woman with GDM can experience a healthy pregnancy if the condition is well managed. This course, for providers who work in maternal child health, discusses how pregnancy alters glucose metabolism, what risk assessment is required, and what test results indicate when a pregnant woman has crossed into GDM. You will come away equipped with the information you need to provide quality care for your patients with GDM.

Proficiency in the use of a validated stroke scale, such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), is important for any member of the healthcare team caring for patients with acute stroke. This stroke assessment scale efficiently assesses stroke severity, offering objective information about prognosis and outcomes along with directing early treatment. With proper training in the use of the NIHSS, including serial monitoring, specifically for those at risk for worsening neurologic status, little variance should exist in results among clinicians. Education is essential to improving reliability and increasing effective communication regarding treatment of stroke patient

The connection between physical and behavioral health includes the impact that behavioral health disorders have on chronic health conditions. Behavioral health screening has been shown to improve the identification of disorders, facilitate referrals to needed services, and reduce adverse outcomes by helping avoid complications, achieve treatment goals more rapidly, and reduce the overall cost of care. This screening can be implemented fairly quickly in a variety of health-care settings, requiring minimal time and effort on the provider’s part. This module reviews some of the most widely used behavioral health screening tools and explores important factors for consideration when implementing them in your practice.

Communication is one of the most important elements of excellent care. This is especially true when decisions about medical treatments need to be made. Advance care planning is an ongoing process in which people explore and discuss their goals, values, and understanding of their health to guide future end-of-life treatment decisions. In this course, you will learn when and how to start conversations and how to use a framework called FIVE WISHES® that simplifies and personalizes the end-of-life conversation and helps to elicit valuable information for decision-making. The goal of this course is to provide healthcare staff with an overview of the benefits and components of effective advance care planning conversations.

Diabetes management can be accomplished with an interdisciplinary team of nurses, dietitians, health educators, therapists, and the patient. Therapists must understand the impact of diabetes and related complications on the patient’s therapy outcomes. In this course, learners will gain an understanding of the physiologic impact of diabetes on the patient's clinical presentation, progression, and plan of care. The course will discuss how to manage patients with diabetes during a treatment session and introduce evidence-based diabetes self-management programs available in the community as effective complements to therapy.

The goal of this course is to provide all staff with an overview of CPR.

NOTE: This course does not replace the formalized training and return demonstration that must be completed for competency according to the American Heart Association. This course should only be used as a “refresher” to remind the learner of the key action steps in CPR.

The content of this course is sourced from the American Heart Association’s CPR and ECC Guidelines unless otherwise noted. The American Heart Association is not affiliated with nor endorses this course.