Conquering Lab Interpretation (eLearning)

No matter what your area of expertise, no field in medicine spends enough time training you for lab interpretation. Join us as we conquer the interpretation of lab findings to help you gain the clues you need to provide better care to your patients. What we understand, we can then use to set up the plan of the day, to progress the patient towards good outcomes and to predict the next step in the treatment goal. Data collection and understanding are important steps in the development of critical thinking. Hone critical thinking skills through humor and detailed case studies.

Program Learning Outcomes
This program prepares the learner to:

1. Understand the intricacies of the differential on the complete blood count (CBC).
2. Classify the three categories that the 400 different types of anemia fall into.
3. Recognize the clues the basic metabolic panel (BMP) gives to acute renal failure and how the cause will drive how we treat decreased urine output.
4. Interpret lab and ECG changes commonly seen with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) versus a myocardial infarction.
5. Learn a simple three-part tool to make interpretation of arterial blood gases (ABGs) fast and easy.
6. Recognize how systemic inflammation can trigger the progression of illness and how the labs become tools in staving off that process and treating septic shock.
7. Understand the relationship among the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and thyroid function.
8. Identify effective interventions in electrolyte imbalances.
9. Differentiate between diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hypoglycemic state (HHS) and how the treatment varies.
10. Identify which part of the coagulation panel relates to the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways on the clotting cascade.
11. Classify findings on the disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) panel.
12. Differentiate expected findings in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) as they relate to meningitis (bacterial and viral) and viral encephalopathy.
13. Learn the conversion of hemoglobin A1c to mean blood sugar.