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Continuing Education to Clinical Laboratory Personnel

Information for Clinical Laboratory Personnel to pursue continuing education


The Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program at UWF is a licensed provider (JP 229) of continuing education for Florida laboratory professionals.  Licensure renews every 2 years.    All courses will be posted to CE Broker, available to subscribers athttp://www.cebroker.com

Biennial requirements for Continuing Education

The state of Florida mandates continuing education for all laboratory professionals.  In order to maintain a license as a technician or technologist, the licensee must earn 24 proscribed credit hours per biennium: 1 Credit in HIV/AIDS, Florida Laws and Rules of the Board, Hematology, Serology/Immunology,  Microbiology/Mycology/Parasitology, Chemistry/Urinalysis/Toxicology, and Blood Bank, 2 Credits in Medical Errors, and the remaining credits in any of those categories, to be considered as general credits.

2014 Menu:  6 credits for $60, or $12 per credit, ala carte

Enjoy these narrated presentations in the comfort of your own home. Take a short quiz, and earn your CE credit.  Go to http://continuinged.uwf.edu/ and search “Clinical Lab”. All major credit cards are accepted.  Proceeds of the Continuing Education Program are used for travel scholarships for the CLS interns.  You support your future techs by your participation.

TRALI- What the Medical Community Should Know.

Regina Castor, SBB, MT(ASCP), Blood Bank Supervisor, Baptist Hospital, Pensacola  (1 hour Blood Bank).  Transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI)  is now the leading cause of fatal transfusion reactions in the United States.  This lecture discusses the symptoms of TRALI and why it is difficult to diagnose.  The lecture describes  the prevailing opinions as to what causes TRALI, and importantly, what the Blood Banks are doing to prevent TRALI.

A Case of Cutaneous Blastomycosis and the Differential Diagnosis of Dimorphic Fungi

Tiffany Peterson, MT(ASCP), Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola (1 hour Microbiology). This seminar presents a case study in which a patient presents to the emergency room with an infection lesion on his left thigh.  The patient history and a series of laboratory tests including fungal cultures lead to the conclusion that the infection was caused by the dimorphic fungus, Blastomyces dermatitidis.  Also included in this seminar is an explanation of dimorphism as it pertains to fungi, an overview of laboratory testing for fungal organisms, and an in-depth description of the differential diagnosis of dimorphic fungi including clinical presentations, laboratory findings, and fun mnemonic devices for remembering the various organisms. 

Assessing and Managing the Risk of Preterm Birth

Diane Small, MT(ASCP), Lab Manager, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Ft. Walton Beach (1 hour Chemistry).  Preterm birth is a serious risk for morbidity and mortality of infants, but preterm contractions are non specific.  This lecture discussed the benefits of combining  the laboratory test Fetal Fibronectin with Transvaginal Ultrasound in predicting preterm birth.  The FullTerm™ Fetal Fibronectin test is featured, and its performance monitors are evaluated. Two cases are analyzed to reinforce the technology.

Prevention of Medical Errors

Steve Smith MD, Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program, UWF, Pensacola (1 hour Medical Errors).  This lecture discusses the impact of the Institute of Medicine Report on medical errors, the magnitude of medical errors, and the various types of medical errors. The presenter discusses factors that increase the risk of medical errors, and initiatives to reduce and prevent errors. Sentinel events and root cause analysis are discussed. Laboratory specific errors are highlighted, and the principle of a Culture of Safety is discussed.

A Toolkit for Evaluating Scientific Literature, Part 1 

Kristina Behan PhD, MT (ASCP), Associate Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program, UWF, Pensacola   (2 hours – Chemistry or General). Finding and analyzing scientific and medical literature can be daunting.  This talk introduces the participant to several mechanisms to search the internet for free scientific literature, and to make sense of it once it has been downloaded. The presentation analyzes one particular scientific article that compares adult blood to cord blood with respect to how quickly glucose falls after sample collection.  This is part 1 of a series that will discuss scientific literature and its interpretation.

More offerings will be available soon

Ask Vicky to put you on our email list, at vdubose@uwf.edu. Check back here for details, or contact Dr. Kristina Behan at kbehan@uwf.edu or (850) 474-3060 for updated information.

Interested in continuing your education with a Master’s Degree?

UWF School of Allied Health and Life Sciences (SAHLS) offers these Master’s programs. For more information, see http://www.uwf.edu/sahls/graduate/

M.P.H., Public Health is an online program offering a master's degree that is the most widely recognized professional credential for leadership in public health. The goal of the program is to provide students with a high quality, multidisciplinary perspective on public health.

M.A., Leadership Communication which has a specialization in Health Care Ethics from the Department of Communication Arts.