Register for this Tropical Caribbean Cruise

Our Live Pharmacology CME is perfect for medical professionals seeking to learn the latest in drug therapy. Join nurse practitioners, family physicians, physician assistants and pharmacists who have been benefiting from our exceptional pharmacology CME for over 30 years. You will enjoy our small class sizes which encourage back and forth discussion with clinical faculty from medical & pharmacy schools who see patients daily.

This conference provides 15 contact hours of pharmacy CE and (1.5 CEU) of live AAFP/ AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ACPE and pharmacology CE/ CME credit over two at sea days.

Topics

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Tools for Successful treatment:
Assessing Abdominal Pain and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Update
Peptic Ulcer Disease and Helicobacter Highlights, Colon Cancer Evaluation and Prevention, Evaluation and Treatment of Chronic Diarrhea, and Constipation Conundrums:
Clinical Dilemmas in GI Bleeding: and Diverticular Dilemmas:

Speaker

**Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP**

Associate Clinical Professor: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, ECHN branch of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Frank H Netter, MD School of Medicine Disclosure: Dr. Buch has NO financial arrangements with any corporate organization that might have an interest in the subject being presented.

Educational Sessions

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Tools for Successful treatment: 1. Recognize the various manifestations of IBS. 2. Distinguish IBS from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). 3. Examine the usefulness of “Alarm Symptoms” . 4. Choose the best treatments for IBS . Bootcamp for Elevated Liver Function Tests: 5. Define Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis (NASH). 6. Identify at risk patients and review treatment options. 7. Recognize frequently encountered gallbladder and common duct clinical dilemmas. 8. Describe what a primary care provider should know about Hepatitis C. Celiac Disease or Something Else? : 9. Describe the varied clinical manifestations of Celiac Disease (Sprue). 10. Define the workup of Celiac Disease especially when a patient is already on a self imposed gluten free diet. 11. Recognize the entity of Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. 12. Iidentify how the symptoms of Celiac Disease, Non Celiac Gluten sensitivity, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be identical. Dysphagia, Dyspepsia, GERD, Barrett’s and the Primary Care Provider: 13. Distinguish gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) from dyspepsia. 14. Acknowledge the true risks of chronic proton pump inhibitor use. 15. Update your knowledge on esophageal diseases. 16. Delineate the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus and esophageal cancer. Update on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Clostridium difficile and Fecal Transplants: What You Need to Know: 17. Recognize the proven GI uses of Probiotics. 18. Understand the difficulty in comparing products. 19. Describe how to diagnose and treat Cl difficile in 2024. Recognize how fecal transplants may be the ultimate Probiotic.
Assessing Abdominal Pain and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Update At the conclusion of this program, the participant will be able to:
Assessing Abdominal Pain: A Practical Review: 1. Define the appropriate workup for several interactive cases of acute abdominal pain. 2.. Illustrate the pitfalls in making a diagnosis. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Update: 3. Distinguish Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). 4. Describe the workup of IBD. 3. Distinguish Crohn’s Disease from Ulcerative Colitis. 5. Choose the “best” treatments for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. 6. Discuss controversies surrounding IBD.
Session 3: Friday, March 1, 2024, 7:45 AM Check In, 8:00 AM–1:30 PM Educational Program (5hrs)
Peptic Ulcer Disease and Helicobacter Highlights, Colon Cancer Evaluation and Prevention, Evaluation and Treatment of Chronic Diarrhea, and Constipation Conundrums:
Peptic Ulcer Disease and Helicobacter Highlights: 1. Identify the importance of risk factors in the development of UGI bleeding. 2. Select appropriate candidates for long term PPI therapy. 3. Review non invasive ways of making a H pylori diagnosis. 4. Manage antibiotic therapy for Helicobacter 2024. Colon Cancer Evaluation and Prevention: What’s New?: 5. Show the best practices that lead to colon cancer prevention. 6. Review types of polyps and their consequences. 7. Review the pitfalls of colonoscopy screening. 8. Show reasonable alternatives to colonoscopy. Evaluation and Treatment of Chronic Diarrhea: 9. Recognize the common sources of chronic diarrhea including: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Pancreatic Insufficiency, Post cholecystectomy diarrhea, Sprue, Microscopic Colitis. 10. Review treatment options. Constipation Conundrums: 11. Recognize specialized, advanced testing for constipated patients unresponsive to standard care. 12. Recognize fecal overflow incontinence. 13. Recognize how Peripheral Acting Mu Opioid Receptor Antagonists are useful in treating opioid induced constipation.
Clinical Dilemmas in GI Bleeding: and Diverticular Dilemmas:
At the conclusion of this program, the participant will be able to:
Clinical Dilemmas in GI Bleeding: 1. Describe the limitations of colonoscopy. 2. Recognize the importance of “Alarm Symptoms”. 3. Describe advanced endoscopic techniques that are used to evaluate GI bleeding. 4. Recognize the safe use of anti platelet and anticoagulation meds post GI bleeding. Diverticular Dilemmas: 1. Cite risk factors in developing diverticular diseases. 2. Explore controversy surrounding antibiotic use in uncomplicated diverticulitis 3. Elaborate on various treatment modalities for bleeding diverticulitis. 4. Identify new surgical paradigms.

Conference Credit

PHARMACISTS :University Learning Systems is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. These programs are accredited for pharmacists.

Session	Contact Hours	ACPE UAN	Activity
Session 1	5.0	0741-0000-24-007-L01-P	APPLICATION
Session 2	2.5	0741-0000-24-008-L01-P	APPLICATION
Session 3	5.0	0741-0000-23-009-L01-P	KNOWLEDGE
Session 4	2.5	0741-0000-24-010-L01-P	KNOWLEDGE

NURSE PRACTITIONERS/ NURSES: This course provides 15 contact hours (1.5 CEU) over three days, 5 hours per day, to fulfill the pharmacotherapeutics/ pharmacology requirements for American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Category 1 Continuing Education Hours for certification renewal. The same hours submitted to renew certification may be submitted to a State Board of Nursing for re-licensure. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts formally approved continuing education sponsored by organizations accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). .

PHYSICIANS: The AAFP has reviewed GI Overview 2024, 7 NIGHT TROPICAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE and deemed it acceptable for up to 15.00 Live AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 02/25/2024 to 03/03/2024. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1. CME programs approved by the AAFP are eligible for Category 2 credit (or Category 1-A under special circumstances) through the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS: American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for Prescribed credit from AAFP. Physician assistants may report the number of hours stated above of Category I credit for completing this program.

CONSULTANT PHARMACISTS: Some consultant pharmacist boards accept University Learning Systems courses for recertification either as is or with board approval. Please contact your board regarding course approval and ULS with any questions.

CANADIAN PHARMACISTS: Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP) accepts courses accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). This credit is applicable to health professionals who may require pharmacology credit.

CANADIAN PHYSICIANS: Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada are eligible to receive up to 15 MAINPRO-M1 credits for participation in this activity due to reciprocal agreement with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: Contact your respective board regarding approval

Conference Registration

Per Person Conference registration* *subject to change	Discounted advanced registration Up To Nov 27, 2023	Regular registration
Physicians & Dentists	$895	$945
Physicians Assistants, Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners	$695	$745
Nurses, Residents, Students	$495	$545

In Person Conference Registration: Conference registration includes workshop attendance, handouts, breakfast or refreshments during the meetings and documentation of continuing education credit. Spouses, family and friends are welcome and do not need to register unless they attend the educational sessions. Special seminar fees are available for non-professional accompanying persons who wish to attend one or more session (no special receipt, certification or credit issued).

Requirements For Credit: Credit is dependent on verification of conference attendance by on-time check-in at each session and ULS receipt of completed evaluations. Credit is determined based on actual attendance on a per session basis, no partial credit is awarded.

Pharmacists: Please ensure that we have your NABP# and date of birth on file. ACPE does not allow us to provide you with paper statements of credit.

Statements of Credit: Should you need a paper statement of credit, you can access that information via CPE Monitor. All other professionals: An applicable paper Statement of Credit will be issued upon receipt of your post-conference paperwork.

Requirements For Credit: Credit is dependent on verification of conference attendance by on-time check-in at each session and ULS receipt of completed evaluations. Credit is determined based on actual attendance on a per session basis, no partial credit is awarded.

Note: Approximately one 15 minute break per 2.5 hours. Credited hours do not include breaks.

Cruise Itinerary

Sun, February 25	Fort Lauderdale, FL	6:00 PM
Mon, February 26	Half Moon Cay, Bahamas	8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Tues, February 27	At Sea
Wed, February 28	Grand Turk, Turks And Caicos	8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Thurs, February 29	Amber Cove, Dominican Republic	8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Fri, March 1	At Sea
Sat, March 2	Key West, FL	8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Sun, March 3	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Arrives 7:00 AM

Cruise Reservations

Interior Stateroom (Category J)	$849
Interior Stateroom (Category I)	$859
Ocean View Stateroom (Category D)	$1019
Ocean View Stateroom (Category C)	$1039
Verandah (Balcony) Stateroom (VD)	$1249
Verandah (Balcony) Stateroom (VC)	$1279
Verandah (Balcony) Stateroom (VB)	$1309
Verandah (Balcony) Stateroom (VA)	$1339
Signature Suite (SS)	$3269
Gov’t Fees/Taxes	$215 per person

Reservations	Make Cruise Reservations: with Continuing Education Inc/University at Sea 1-800-926-3775 Attendees who do not book with Continuing Education Inc/University at Sea will be charged $300/cabin surcharge at point of registration. Rate includes: 5 Star ship, all meals-unlimited gourmet dining, and entertainment each evening
Prices	Prices are per person, based on double occupancy Prices are subject to change without notice. Cruise line reserves the right to impose a fuel surcharge up to $10/day. Airfare and roundtrip transfers are additional.
Payments	Refundable deposit of $250 per person is due at time of booking. Final payment due by November 27, 2023
Cruise Cancellation	Cancellation policies vary by cruise line, itinerary and length of cruise. When reserving your stateroom, please review the policy applicable to this cruise with University at Sea staff. University Learning Systems is not responsible for losses due to trip cancellations or delays. Travel Insurance is Recommended
Travel Documents	Passport required

Attrition Surcharge

For cruise seminars, you must reserve your cabin with the University Learning Systems contracted travel agent. 2023/2024 Cruise Attrition Surcharge: $300

ULS will verify all rooming/cabin information with the hotel /travel agent and the hotel /travel agent has the right to release pertinent information to ULS for all attendees. No credit will be reported until the Attrition Surcharge is satisfied.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Unfortunately we have recently experienced a rash of attendees not utilizing the ULS designated hotel or travel agent causing ULS to incur significant penalties.

7-Day Tropical Caribbean Cruise February 2024