Infectious Disease Primer for Primary Care

This course contains 13 hours of online modules and does not have a live or in-person component. 

Course Description

Infectious diseases remain a dynamic and fascinating field replete with new challenges facing outpatient primary care providers and hospital medicine practitioners alike. This course is designed to explore major infectious diseases topics of particular relevance to our target audience, which includes outpatient primary care physicians and mid-level providers, emergency department providers, and hospitalists in the US and globally.

The Infectious Disease Primer for Primary Care course by the Department of Medicine is designed to supply primary care providers with a thorough understanding of various infectious diseases commonly encountered in primary care settings. Through eight comprehensive online modules, healthcare professionals will develop the knowledge necessary to effectively address, manage, and prevent infectious diseases, while promoting optimal patient outcomes. The course will cover a range of topics, including HIV, latent tuberculosis, skin and soft tissue infections, community-acquired pneumonia, vaccine updates, antibiotic usage and stewardship, and sexually transmitted infections. 

Target Audience

This course is intended for emergency medicine physicians, family practitioners, internists, public health practitioners, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, as well as other health care workers or researchers interested in additional professional development.

Learning Objectives

After taking this course, the learner will demonstrate the ability to:

• Name the agents recommended for inclusion in first-line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to facilitate selection of initial treatment regimens for newly diagnosed patients, and acquire knowledge of usage of ARV decision support tools.
• Acquire proficiency in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of latent TB infection.
• Comprehend common bacterial skin infections, viral skin infections, fungal skin infections, and parasitic skin infections, including their clinical presentation, etiology, and common pathogens, to effectively diagnose and manage these infections in primary care settings.
• Express comprehensive knowledge of antibiotic resistance, driving factors, and its global impact, to define the problem and appreciate its scope and relevance to primary care settings.
• Acquire proficiency in recognizing the clinical presentation of STIs, including symptoms, physical findings, and the appropriate use of diagnostic tests, to facilitate accurate and timely diagnosis for appropriate management and treatment.
  

Course Registration

You will receive a confirmation email from Instructure. If you have not received it within 24 hours of registering, email the Office of Online Education to confirm that you are registered.

The Johns Hopkins University reserves the right to cancel or postpone any activity due to unforeseen circumstances. In this event, the University will refund the registration fee but is not responsible for travel expenses. Additionally, we reserve the right to change the venue to a comparable venue.  Under such circumstances registrants will be notified as soon as possible.

Certificate

After successfully completing this course, learners will receive a certificate of completion from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Division of Infectious Disease. While not conveying academic credit, it will document the learner’s competency in the knowledge and skills delivered in the program and successful completion of course requirements.

Key Topics

• HIV in primary care
  • Epidemiology
  • Diagnosis
  • Management
  • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
• Mycobacterial infections—what the PCP needs to know
  • Latent tuberculosis
  • Active tuberculosis
  • Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections
    
• Common Skin and Soft Tissue infections
  • Diabetic foot ulcer
  • Cellulitis
  • Viral, fungal, parasitic skin infections
  • Bites
    
• Lower respiratory tract infections—from COVID to community acquired pneumonia
  
• Vaccine basics and updates for primary care clinicians
  
• Antibotic stewardship and resistance
  
• Sexually transmitted infections, including:
  • Syphilis
  • Gonorrhea
  • Chlamydia
• Travel medicine basics: from Malaria to Zika

Learning Prerequisites

There are no specific educational prerequisites; however, some basic knowledge of science, particularly biology, is recommended. You will need to have English language fluency.

Technical Prerequisites

The course will take place on the Canvas LMS (Canvas.jhu.edu). You will need the ability to log on to the platform, preferably using Google Chrome, to complete the content, which will include videos, readings, and assignments. You may also need to take part in other activities on Canvas.jhu.edu.

• Hardware requirements: computer; webcam; microphone and speakers or headset.
• Software requirements: Google Chrome web browser; access to Canvas.jhu.edu; Zoom web conferencing; Microsoft Office or similar; email

Course Lifecycle and Access

After registering, you will receive an email confirming your registration. You will be granted access to the course, which includes complete course information. Please check the course listing for additional information on course access dates. For synchronous courses, learners will have access to the Canvas course for the duration of the course. For asynchronous courses, learners will have access for 180 days after registration. 

Tuition Remission

This course may qualify for tuition remission. Please check https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/tuition-assistance/tuition-reimbursement/noncredit-courses-at-jhu/ for guidelines. If you are interested in using tuition remission, please email the OOE support email with your request.

Refund Policy and Timeline

• Synchronous Courses
  • Refunds may be requested up to the start of the live activity, unless otherwise noted. All refund requests will incur a 10% processing fee.
• Asynchronous Courses
  • Refunds are not allowed for active asynchronous courses.

Technical Support Statement

Please direct all technical support requests to the OOE support email. We will respond to requests within 24-48 hours. Requests received on weekends, overnights and holidays will be responded to on the next business day.

Accessibility Statement

JHU SOM is committed to providing all participants with the opportunity to pursue excellence in their learning endeavors. This includes providing disability related accommodations and services in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and our goal of delivering accessible, inclusive experiences. If you require accommodations to complete this course, please reach out to the  OOE support email. Please do not include any personal identifiable information such as social security number in any messages. 

Accreditation

JHU is not approved by Middle States for direct assessment credentials for academic credit. This course results in a certificate of completion. It will not show on any JHU transcripts and does not count toward an academic record.