New Domestic Violence Online Course

 

Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner ViolenceDomestic violence, in the form of child abuse and intimate partner violence, remains a pervasive part of contemporary life in the U.S. Its effects are deep and far-reaching. This new 2-hour online continuing education course is intended to help health professionals maintain a high state of vigilance and to be well prepared with immediate and appropriate responses when abuse is disclosed. There is a special section on the complexity of an abuse victim’s decision about if and when to leave an abuser. This course will teach clinicians to detect abuse when they see it, screen for the particulars, and respond with definitive assistance in safety planning, community referrals, and individualized treatment plans.

This course is presented in two sections. Part I will deal with the scope, definitional concepts, dynamics, recognition, assessment, and treatment of victims of child abuse. A section on bullying is included, with consideration of a contemporary variant of bullying known as “cyber-bullying.” There is also a section addressing the question of whether abused children grow up to become abusers themselves. A strengths-based model of assessment and intervention is detailed.

Part II will cover similar aspects of intimate partner violence, including women, children, and men. Sections are included on cross cultural considerations and same gender abuse dynamics. Emphasis is on identifying victims of IPV and providing screening and intervention procedures that are intended to empower victims to take control of their own lives. There are sections on the dynamics that influence when/whether abuse victims decide to leave their abusers and how clinicians can prepare for immediate interventions as soon as a client discloses that he/she is being abused.

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Cultural Competence in Health Communications

Cultural Competence in Health Communications

Click to view cultural CE courses

Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence comprises four components:

  1. Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview
  2. Attitude towards cultural differences
  3. Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews
  4. Cross-cultural skills

Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Effective health communication is as important to health care as clinical skill. To improve individual health and build healthy communities, health care providers need to recognize and address the unique culture, language and health literacy of diverse consumers and communities.

Professional Development Resources offers a variety of cultural-based continuing education (CE) courses for healthcare professionals to address this topic:

Cultural competency is one the main ingredients in closing the disparities gap in health care. It’s the way patients and doctors can come together and talk about health concerns without cultural differences hindering the conversation, but enhancing it. Quite simply, health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients can help bring about positive health outcomes. {Office of Minority Health}

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Frequently asked questions about ADHD and teenagers.

Frequently asked questions about ADHD and teenagers

Click to view continuing education courses addressing ADHD

Q: What is ADHD?

A: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a term used to describe a group of behaviors that most often appear in young, school-aged children.

Q: What are the symptoms of ADHD?

A: ADHD has a wide range of symptoms and it can be confusing and stressful for the child or teen. Young people mature at different rates and have different personalities, temperaments, and energy levels. Most of us get distracted, act impulsively, and struggle to pay attention at one time or another. It is when symptoms such as these, or acting in impulsive or reckless ways, daydreaming, becoming easily confused, or trouble sitting still for any length of time are hurting school work or impairing social activities that ADHD should be looked into.

Q: How is ADHD diagnosed?

A: Most ADHD symptoms usually appear early in life, often between the ages of 3 and 6. No single test can diagnose ADHD, but a licensed health professional such as a pediatrician or mental health specialist with experience in childhood mental disorders can first try to rule out other reasons for the symptoms.

Q: What causes ADHD?

A: Scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although many studies suggest that genes (the “blueprints” for who we are) play a large role. Like many other illnesses, ADHD probably results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors such as nutrition, brain injuries, or social environment.

Q: Can a teenager have ADHD?

A: Most children with ADHD continue to have symptoms as they enter adolescence. Some may not be diagnosed until then. It’s not easy being a teenager, but for a teenager with ADHD, it can be especially hard. Staying with the recommended treatments, prescribed medications, psychosocial interventions, or a combination of the two, is also a challenge. Since inattention can be a problem, driving is another major concern for those with ADHD. Working cooperatively with parents, schools, and health care professionals is key.

Q: How is ADHD treated?

A: Available treatments focus on reducing the symptoms of ADHD and improving functioning. A one-size-fits-all treatment does not exist and sometimes several different medications or dosages must be tried before finding one that works for a specific person. Anyone taking medications must be closely watched by their doctors. Parents and doctors need to work together to decide which medication is best, if the young person needs medication only for school hours or also for evenings and weekends, and also what psychosocial interventions are best for that individual.

Q: What can be done if you or your friend has ADHD?

A: First you need to help reduce the stress caused by the frustration that is experienced with these conditions. It is best for you or your friend to work with your family and a team of health professionals to find the best treatments.

Q: Once diagnosed, what is there to do about it?

A: With the right kind of help, most children and teens with ADHD can usually improve dramatically.

Q: Where can I get more information?

A: Knowledge in genetics, brain imaging, and behavioral research is leading to a better understanding of the causes of the disorder, how to prevent it, and how to develop more effective treatments for all age groups. NIMH has studied ADHD treatments for pre-school and school-aged children in a large –scale, long term studies. NIMH-sponsored scientists are continuing to look for the biological basis of ADHD and how differences in genes and brain structures may combine with life experiences to produce the disorder.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-teens-fact-sheet/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder.shtml

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Preventing Medical Errors in Speech-Language Pathology

Preventing Medical Errors in Speech-Language Pathology

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2-hour course required for license renewal of Florida SLPs and Audiologists on December 31, 2011.

This course addresses the impact of medical errors on today’s healthcare with a focus on root cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, and patient safety. Multiple scenarios of real and potential errors in the practice of speech-language pathology are included, along with recommended strategies for preventing them. Evidence shows that the most effective error prevention occurs when a partnership exists among care facilities, health care professionals, and the patients they treat. Suggested strategies for preventing errors address all three elements: (1) models for changing the culture in care facilities, (2) lifelong learning for SLPs that is focused on ethical, evidence-based, culturally competent practice, and (3) tools for educating and empowering patients. 2010 | 33 pages | 16 posttest questions | Course #20-10S

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