APPNA Academy

Course Description: 

The purpose of this online course is to enhance the knowledge and expertise of clinicians and related professionals working with patients struggling with various psychiatric disorders.  The course will provide an overview of common psychiatric disorders seen in the primary care office and their management based on current best practice guidelines. The course will include lectures on substance use disorders, child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, neuromodulation, and consultation liaison psychiatry. We will use an active learning approach through live interactive sessions and discussions. This program will complement basic training and short courses offered in Pakistan for general practitioners to bridge the gap of specialty care, especially in underserved areas of Pakistan.  

Target Audience: 

Primary: Primary care and specialty physicians – General Practitioners, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and related mental health practitioners currently working with patients suffering from psychiatric disorders,

Secondary: Residents, Fellows and Medical Students

Objectives:

At the end of the course, the participants would be able to:

1. Explain a basic approach to history taking and screening of common psychiatric disorders seen in primary care setting. 
2. Provide a review of approaches towards diagnosing the different psychiatric illnesses. 
3. Review approaches to evaluating and treating common presentations of psychiatric disorders in primary care settings.

Mode of Delivery: 

The course will be delivered primarily on alternate Sundays of each month for two hours for a total of 19 sessions. There will be two lectures of 40 minutes each followed by a QA session for 20 min after each session.

Course Duration: 8 Months

Time: 10: 00 AM EST – 12: PM EST (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Pakistan time)

Assessment Method:

Each participant registered in the certificate program will be asked to take multiple-choice questions at the end of the course. 60% pass rate will be required to receive the certificate.

 Course Director: Nauman Ashraf, MD

 Co-Directors: Munaza Khan, MD, Muhammad Zeshan, MD

 Advisor: Sadiq Naveed, MD

Course Outline

The course will be delivered primarily on alternate Sundays of each month for two hours for a total of 19 sessions. There will be two lectures of 40 minutes each followed by a QA session for 20 min after each session.  

Module 1 - General Psychiatry

Session 1 – March 10^th, 2024
10 min       Course Introduction, Pre-Course Survey
Lectures 1 and 2:  Psychopharmacology Principles and Clinical Pearls

Session 2 – March 17^th, 2024
Lectures 1:  Neurobiology and DSM 5 classification of Psychotic Disorders 
Lecture 2:  Management of Psychotic Disorders

Session 3 – March 24^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Neurobiology and DSM 5 classification of Mood Disorders 
Lecture 2: Management of Mood Disorders 

Session 4 – April 7^th, 2024
Lecture 1:  Management of Anxiety Disorders
Lecture 2:  Management of sleep disorders psychiatric patients

Module 2 - Substance Use Disorders

Session 1 – April 21^st, 2024
Lecture 1:       History Taking, Screening, and Neurobiology of Addiction
Lecture 2: Nicotine Use Disorder               

Session 2 – May 12^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Opioid Use Disorder:
Lecture 2: Alcohol Use Disorder

Session 3 – May 26^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Stimulant Use Disorder
Lecture 2: Cannabis Use Disorder

Module 3 - Child and Adolescent Disorders

Session 1 – June 9^th, 2024
Lecture 1:       Psychiatric Assessment and Risk Assessment
Lecture 2: ADHD

Session 2 – June 23^rd, 2024
Lecture 1: Child Development
Lecture 2:  Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Session 3 – July 14^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Trauma and Stress-related Disorders
Lecture 2: Pediatric Anxiety Disorders

Session 4 – July 28^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Obsessive Compulsive Disorders:
Lecture 2: Pediatric Depression

Session 5 – Aug 11^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
Lecture 2: Pediatric Psychotic Disorder

Module 4 - Geriatric

Session 1 – Aug 25^th, 2024
Lecture 1:       The 5 Ms in Geriatrics: The Basic Framework in Geriatric Care
Lecture 2:        Delirium in the Context of Dementia, Medical Complexities and Polypharmacy

Session 2 – Sep 8^th, 2024
Lecture 1: Late Life Depressive Disorders
Lecture 2:  Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia and Management of Agitation

Session 3 – Sep 22^nd, 2024
Lecture 1: Late Life Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders
Lecture 1: Psychiatric Oncology and Palliative Care in Late Life

Session 4 – Oct 6^th, 2024
Lecture 1 & 2: Major Neurocognitive Impairments and Dementia Syndromes

Module 5 - Consultation and Liaison

Session 1 – Oct 20^th, 2024
Lecture 1:   Capacity Assessment
Lecture 2:  Somatoform Disorders and their management

Session 2 – Nov 3^rd, 2024
Lecture 1:  Psychiatry on the Medical Floor (managing agitation, drug-drug interactions)
Lecture 2:  Reproductive Psychiatry:

Module 6 - Neuromodulation

Session 1 – Nov 17^th, 2024
Lecture 1:   ECT and TMS
Lecture 2:   VNS and Ketamine
Wrap up:     10 minutes