Infectious Diseases Certificate Program

This is a 12-Hour Certificate Program with both In-Class and Online/Self-Study elements.

More than 30% of the antibiotic utilization in the US is deemed inappropriate.  Inappropriate use of antibiotics is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with infectious diseases as well as a rise in the development of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens. Improving antibiotic prescribing is part of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) antibiotic resistance solutions initiative, which puts major emphasis on the pharmacist as an expert in infectious diseases (ID) pharmacotherapy. Thus, pharmacists, as key members of the healthcare system can serve an indispensable role in evaluating antimicrobial therapies to assure appropriate utilization of such drugs.

Antibiotic is a word that makes many healthcare professionals uncomfortable.  The category of antibiotics actually contains many different classes of drugs that differ in spectrum of activity, adverse effect profiles, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical utility. Thus during this certificate program we will take a stepwise approach to the pharmacotherapy of infectious diseases. A case-based approach will be utilized to review the fundamental characteristics of antibiotics followed by a specialized ID pharmacotherapy session on the most common infectious diseases seen in both the inpatient and outpatient setting including pneumonia and urinary tract infections.

This certificate program will provide a comprehensive review of antibiotics and their clinical utility in the management and care of patients with infectious diseases.  The purpose of attending this certificate program is for pharmacists to gain knowledge in the principles of infectious diseases, including microbiology and specific disease state management with the goal of being able to conduct interventions in their practices to ultimately improve patient care, minimize resistance and lower healthcare cost.

Please note that this certificate program course does not provide CPE credit.

Eligibility:

This is an 1199/City Education Fund sponsored program.  No out-of-pocket cost for 1199/City Fund members

In order to participate in this program, you must have:

• Been a full-time or part-time pharmacist for at least one year at a New York City agency/facility participating in the 1199SEIU/City of New York Education, Child and Eldercare Fund.

Program Details (8 Hours – In-Class):

Date: Friday, January 31, 2020

Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm

Venue: Touro School of Pharmacy, 231 West 124th Street, New York, NY 10027

The School will provide complimentary continental breakfast and lunch

Program Details (4 Hours – Online/Self-Study):

Access to the online component will be provided to participants on October 15th.

The School will provide complimentary continental breakfast and lunch

Seats will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.