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1. Integrate sound critical thinking and clinical decision-making.
2. Demonstrate advanced heath assessment knowledge and skills including therapeutic communication.
3. Manage a comprehensive database including functional assessment, psychological assessment, health and pharmacological history, and physical examination.
4. Formulate appropriate laboratory and diagnostic testing.
5. Evaluate findings of laboratory and diagnostic testing along with suggestions for treatment.
6. Determine a differential diagnosis based on assessment data.
7. Diagnose the area of the heart where ischemia, injury, or infarction are occurring based on 12-lead ECG.
8. Choose the best interventions for stabilization of the deteriorating patient.
9. Determine the key interventions to stabilize the successfully resuscitated patient.
10. Analyze the latest clinical practice guidelines for common pathologies and comorbidities.
11. Formulate documentation strategies to protect yourself and your practice in the case of lawsuit.
12. Evaluate early signs of clinical deterioration to identify key interventions to initiate.

Psychosocial Assessment

• CALM acronym: How to set the person at ease during your assessment
• Three key elements in determining the psychosocial assessment
• Proven ways to assess stress in the patient
• Two ways to quickly identify suicidal ideation
• Is this an accident or abuse or neglect?

General Survey of the Patient: What You See is What You Get…Well Not Always

• Symptom analysis…use the COLDSPA acronym
• What the blood pressure and pulse tell you about the patient…even before the stethoscope
• Four proven ways to differentiate neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain
• Key steps when a patient says that they have a condition you have never heard of
• Are the patient’s medications causing the problem…check the Beers criteria

Look Into My Eyes

• Red-flags you must be aware of regarding the eyes
• How medications affect the eye exam
• Differentiating visual acuity and visual fields…impact of the cranial nerves

Respiratory System…Much More than Breath Sounds

• Three age-related changes in the lungs you must know
• The stethoscope is vital, but so are your hands
• How to differentiate asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, and pleural effusion
• Keys to indicate the patient needs a chest radiograph
• The ABCs of ABGs: Four proven ways to contrast respiratory vs. metabolic acidosis and alkalosis
• Four other laboratory tests to assess lung function
• Medications for pulmonary conditions

Cardiovascular System…Beyond the Heart

• Determine if that adventitious sound is during systole or diastole
• Murmurs, rubs, opening snaps…what do they all mean?
• What does the ECHO cardiogram tell you?
• Identify the location of the ischemia, injury, or infarction based on the 12-lead ECG
• Laboratory tests for heart conditions…Heart failure, myocardial infarction, pericarditis
• Pearls for a thorough peripheral vascular assessment…arteries, veins, and lymph nodes
• Must-know categories of medications that deteriorate the heart

Gastro-intestinal System…Beyond the Large and Small Intestine

• Don’t worry about this prevalent finding…it is age related
• GI laboratory tests that are vital for patient assessment
• Could this be cancer or a normal finding?
• Four most-ordered GI procedures and differential diagnosis
• The effect of medications on the GI tract

Genitourinary System

• Differentiate cystitis, UTI, and pyelonephritis…should medications be prescribed?
• ”There is blood in my urine”; what you need to do right now for your patient
• GU laboratory test and procedures; how to interpret the results
• How contrast dyes affect the kidney…watch out for these signs

Musculoskeletal System

• ”I have this back pain”; what you need to do now before the pain progresses
• Differentiating muscular pain and nerve damage
• Five time-honored tests for the musculoskeletal system
• Medications that facilitate fluidity in the MS system

Neurologic System

• Differentiating two- and three-reflex arcs
• Four pearls when conducting cranial nerve assessment
• Is this a motor or sensory problem?
• Two tests for meningitis which do not require cerebral spinal fluid
• Types of seizures and the latest medication options
• Four deadly infections of the neurologic system
• Does your patient need an MRI, Positron emission tomography, or CT scan?
• Neurologic monitoring: Intraventricular, intraparenchymal, brain oxygen tension

Assessment of the Elderly Patient

• Head to toe differences in the assessment of the elderly patient
• ”I can’t seem to remember…is this normal?” Cognitive alterations occurring as we age
• These laboratory parameters differ in the elderly
• The effect of medications on the elderly

Rapid Assessment of the Decompensating Patient

• AMPLE acronym: A must-know to quickly and accurately gather patient information
• ”I have pain”…the PQRST acronym is vital to help the patient
• Get these labs immediately for a crashing patient

Paul Langlois, APN, PhD, CCRN, CCNS, is a critical care clinical specialist in the surgical, medical, neurologic, burn, CCU and trauma ICUs of Cook County Hospital, Chicago. Drawing on over 40 years of experience assessing and managing patients with life-threatening diseases, Dr. Langlois provides advanced-level training to nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists and physicians.

Dr. Langlois is committed to providing the highest quality of care to patients through advanced education. His presentations are evidence-based, timely and provide participants with numerous case studies to facilitate critical thinking. As a bedside clinical nurse specialist, he has developed several institution-wide protocols for the multidisciplinary assessment and management of the infectious disease and multi-system organ failure patient.

His presentations are enthusiastically delivered and offer highly practical tips that help make the most challenging concepts easy to understand. Linking knowledge to clinical practice is the goal of every education program. Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Paul Langlois has employment relationships with Cook County Hospital and Emergency Care Consultants. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Paul Langlois is a member of the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Save time and $10 off the price of other submission methods – purchase & take the CE test online for $29.99 USD per participant. Additional processing fees apply for other submission methods (i.e. mail, fax, etc.). Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details.

Listed below are the continuing education credit(s) currently available for this non-interactive self-study package. Please note, your state licensing board dictates whether self study is an acceptable form of continuing education. Please refer to your state rules and regulations.

Certificates of Successful Completion are available for email, download and/or printing from your online account immediately following the successful completion of the post-test/evaluation.

**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of mental health professionals. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Continuing Education Information
NOTE: Tuition includes one free CE Certificate (participant will be able to print the certificate of completion after passing the online post-test (80% passing score) and completing the evaluation). Instructional methods will include PowerPoint, didactic lecture, and others. Continuing Education Information: Listed below are the continuing education credit(s) currently available for this non-interactive self-study package. Program content is reviewed periodically per accrediting board rules for currency and appropriateness for credit. Credit approvals are subject to change. Please note, your state licensing board dictates whether self-study is an acceptable form of continuing education. Please refer to your state rules and regulations. If your profession is not listed, please contact your licensing board to determine your continuing education requirements and check for reciprocal approval. For other credit inquiries not specified below, please contact info@pesi.com or 800-844-8260 before purchase. Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your profession's standards. For Planning Committee disclosures, please see statement above. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

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Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Clinical Nurse Specialists
This self-study activity consists of 12.5 clock hours of continuing education instruction. Credit requirements and approvals vary per state board regulations. Please save the course outline, the certificate of completion you receive from this self-study activity and contact your state board or organization to determine specific filing requirements.

California Nurses: PESI, Inc. is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #:17118 for 12.5 self-study contact hours.

You will need to provide your license number to PESI. PESI must have this number on file in order for your hours to be valid.

Florida Nurses: PESI, Inc. is an approved provider by the Florida Board of Nursing. Provider #: FBN2858. These materials qualify for 12.5 self-study contact hours.

Iowa Nurses: PESI, Inc. is an approved provider by the Iowa Board of Nursing. Provider #: 346. Nurses successfully completing these self-study materials will earn 12.5 self-study contact hours. Please email cepesi@pesi.com with your license number, include the title, speaker name and date. PESI must have this number on file in order for your hours to be valid.

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Other Professions
This self-study activity qualifies for 12.5 clock hours of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

Disclaimer: **Information obtained in this course should be used within your scope of practice.
**It is your ethical responsibility to report accurate hours to your licensing board.
**All self-study participants must complete and pass (80% or better) a post-test and evaluation prior to receiving a certificate of completion. If you require a copy of the test/evaluation for CE purposes, please print at the time you take the test. Or you may call our customer service department and a copy of your test/evaluation will be emailed to you. Please allow 30-45 days.

• RNs, RTs, NPs, and PAs from:
  • Medical-Surgical floors
  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Critical Care
  • Urgent Care
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Anyone desiring next level skills to proactively assess and intervene for their patients!