Cancer Rehabilitation certificate series icon

Cancer Rehabilitation Certificate Series

Cancer and its treatment regimens can cause a host of complications for therapy interventions and require new considerations to achieve desired outcomes. These five courses, together spanning 14 hours, approach both short- and long-term oncology rehab through risk assessment, side effects of chemotherapy, lymphedema considerations, and exercise prescription.

What this certificate series will address:

As the treatments for various types of cancers continue to improve, there has been exponential growth in the survivors who are living longer than ever before. However, despite the advancements in medical treatment, not all patients are aware of how they can further improve the quality of survivorship. Patients are often not aware of the continuum of care, nor do they realize they can often improve functional impairments that plagued them during treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, drug therapy, and radiation.

What Courses are Included:

Rehabilitation Considerations in Geriatric Oncology

Taught by Nicole Scheiman, DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CORE, RSB-Clinician

Age is the single most significant risk factor for developing cancer, with 60% of all newly diagnosed malignant tumors and 70% of all cancer deaths occurring in persons 65 years or older (Korc-Grodzicki & Tew, 2017). Increased survival, along with a rise in new diagnoses of cancer among older adults, makes geriatric cancer patients the largest proportion of the population of cancer survivors in the United States (Extermann, 2020). Therefore, clinicians working with the older adult population are charged with understanding cancertreatment paired with the unique needs of the aging individual. This course will improve your understanding of these distinct rehabilitation needs of the older adult with cancer to enable you to provide effective treatment options to enhance overall quality of life in your daily practice.

Available as:

Online Video: 2 Credits

Highlights:

  • Immediately improve your understanding of the unique rehabilitation needs of the older adult with cancer
  • Confidently provide safe, effective, and age-friendly treatment options for older adults receiving medical intervention for cancer

Rehabilitation Approaches to Better Manage Cancer Pain

Taught by Nicole Scheiman, DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CORE, RSB-Clinician

The estimated number of US cancer survivors is 16,920,370 people (American Cancer Society, 2019). Of these individuals, 20-50% are estimated to have pain (American Cancer Society, 2019). Therefore, we can estimate that from 3,384,074 to 8,460,185 people are experiencing cancer-related pain and could benefit from the distinct skills of an educated and prepared rehabilitation team.

This course will assist practitioners to understand the pathophysiology of cancer-related pain, expand one’s understanding of how pain may present with individuals with cancer, and increase or improve your ability to provideevidence-based, safe, and effective treatment options to decrease pain, increase comfort, and ultimately improve yourpatient’s quality of life.

Available as:

Online Video: 2 Credits

Highlights:

  • Solidify your understanding of the pathophysiology of cancer pain
  • Expand your understanding of the various presentations of pain for individuals with cancer
  • Improve your ability to provide safe and effective treatment options for individuals receiving medical intervention for cancer

Nutrition Management for Cancer Patients

Taught by Jennifer Darby, PT, DPT, GCS, CCN, CPAHA, CEEAA

This course covers emerging research in the interplay between nutrition and cancer, as well as offers into the role of nutrition in three common cancers: breast, colorectal, and prostate. The course stresses advancements in the understanding of carcinogenesis, individualization of nutrition and cancer treatment, and offers an updated take on the roleof nutrition during cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship. This course will provide a review of the current relevant literature about cancer and nutrition, as well provide practitioners with an understanding of the central role of nutrition in health and healing. This course provides ascientific basis for the integration of nutrition into the conventional management of cancer, and opportunities toapply information from the literature to interactive clinical scenarios.

Available as:

Online Video: 2 Credits

Highlights:

  • Confidently speak with your cancer patients on nutritionand general nutritional recommendations set forth by the FDA
  • Enhance your cancer patient’s treatment and recovery by adding a nutritional component to your overall plan of care

Rehabilitation Considerations for Head and Neck Cancer

Taught by Nicole Scheiman, DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CORE, RSB-Clinician

In the United States, the incidence of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer has increased by 225% since the late 1980s, putting the United States at the epicenter of this emerging epidemic. As a result, rehabilitation professionals are seeing an increase in clients with comorbidities stemming from medical interventions for head and neck cancers. Increased incidence paired with highly successful medical treatments is resulting in more individuals needing theservices of rehabilitation professionals. Our services are vital throughout the treatment trajectory in order to provideprevention of co-morbidities as well as treatment of side- effects. We are charged with providing these individuals with safe and effective client-driven treatment techniques to restore and improve quality of life.

This course will assist practitioners to understand the anatomy involved in head and neck cancers along with the advanced medical interventions individuals with head and neck cancer receive and the related side-effects. Participants will learn potential rehabilitation needs of individuals with head and neck cancer and various treatment options to improve their quality of life. An introduction tovarious outcome measures will also be discussed.

Available as:

Online Video: 2 Credits

Highlights:

  • Recognize acute and long-term side effects of medical treatments for head and neck cancers that may impact your client's quality of life
  • Provide safe and effective treatment options for individuals receiving medical interventions for head and neck cancer

Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment for Cancer and Cognitive Rehabilitation

Taught by Courtney Huber, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS

This course will provide you with best practices in the evaluation and treatment of cognitive and physical impairments resulting as a side effect of chemotherapy. You will get interactive, hands-on experience with interpreting assessment results, creating patient-driven plans of care, and use of evidence-based treatment techniques to address the short and long-term needs of your patients. Learn how amultidisciplinary model of rehabilitation addresses complex issues such as community re-integration and return to work. Arm yourself with resources to advocate for your skilled services to physicians, payers, and stakeholders.

Available as:

Online Video: 6 Credits

Highlights:

  • Successfully advocate for skilled therapy services your patients need to address detrimental changes in cognitive and physical function
  • Efficient and thorough assessment of yourpatient to create individualized, practical, relevant, and measurable goals
  • Educate and inform your patients to enable them to be engaged, active consumers in their treatment
  • Immediate implementation of evidence-based restorative and compensatory techniques to maximize cognitive and physical function with individuals receiving chemotherapy treatment
  • Interact and collaborate with multidisciplinary professionals to address function, activity, and participation limitations of your patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment
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