New Era of Professional Education

One of the crucial ways the Pulmonary Hypertension Association promotes quality patient care is by providing medical education to health care professionals.

PHA offers several programs and resources to improve the knowledge and skills of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals who treat and manage patients with pulmonary hypertension. Those programs equip health care professionals with the latest research and technology to enhance patient care. In 2022, more than 2,700 health care professionals participated in PHA’s professional education programs.

PHA has two accredited continuing medical education programs: PHA Online University and PHA Medical Education On-Demand. PHA Online University offers online courses that are available 24/7. The courses are taught by experts in treating and managing PH care.

The Medical Education On-Demand program provides a unique opportunity for health care providers to tailor professional education to their needs. They can choose from eight PH presentations by 60 expert faculty members and schedule the courses at their convenience.

RE-ENERGIZING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

One of the most exciting education opportunities for PH professionals is the PHA International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions. Those professionals came together in person for the first time in four years at PHA 2022 in Atlanta, not only to learn but also to connect and network. Over two days, health care providers participated in sessions that reflected the theme, “Vision for the PHuture: The Evolving Science and Management of PH.”

The Scientific Sessions also featured for the first time a joint session with the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. PHA used the momentum from the conference to begin planning PHA’s 2023 PH Professional Network Symposium.

PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING

PHA empowers health care professionals to provide the best quality care through support and mentorship. In 2022, PHA expanded what previously was the PHPN Mentorship Program and revamped it to include physicians and researchers in addition to nurses and allied health professionals. The program matches mentees with experienced peers who provide guidance and expertise on a variety of topics. That guidance could address advice about PH treatment, care and research, as well the PH Care Center accreditation process or the roles and responsibilities of a PH coordinator.

Members of PHA’s professional networks have access to the PH Practice Library, a collection of practical protocol examples, patient education materials and other resources. The PH Practice Library helps clinicians make the most of their time with patients and determine best practices for their care centers.

Giving health care professionals the knowledge and tools that allow them to provide the best possible care to patients is the focus of PHA’s medical education programs. By empowering the people who directly treat patients, PHA promotes quality patient care throughout the PH community.

MENTORSHIP SPURS LONGTIME COLLABORATION

Rebecca Cox, FNP-C, was working at a practice where she was the only advanced practice provider caring for people with pulmonary hypertension. She applied for PHA’s mentorship program so she could benefit from the experience of other professionals. Having a mentor allowed her bounce ideas off an expert from a PHA-accredited PH Care Center and get a feel for how the center handled specific situations.

“Not only did I grow in my knowledge of pulmonary arterial hypertension, but I also developed a professional relationship with my mentor,” says Cox, who still collaborates with her mentor about patients her clinic refers for lung transplant, even after the formal mentorship period.

Cox says her patients have benefited from the mentorship program because they received the highest level of care.

“Even if they didn’t know it, we were working together behind the scenes years after the mentorship ended,” she says.