Program Description
This recorded asynchronous distance course provides an overview of pediatric and PICU case management within hospital settings. Participants will explore the role of the case manager or clinical social worker in supporting pediatric patients, caregivers, and families during hospital admissions, complex medical care, safety concerns, traumatic events, chronic illness, and discharge planning. Topics include pediatric and PICU assessment, family -centered communication, mental health concerns, adolescent substance use, and domestic violence exposure. Participants will gain practical knowledge on interdisciplinary collaboration, trauma-informed communication, adherence to hospital policies and state statutes, objective documentation, caregiver readiness, and safe discharge planning.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for clinical social workers and RN case managers working in hospital settings, particularly those involved in pediatric care.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the role of the pediatric or PICU case manager in supporting pediatric patients, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary medical team. 2. Identify key components of pediatric assessment, including family understanding of the medical plan, caregiver capacity, discharge needs, safety concerns, social resources, and barriers to care. 3. Recognize mental health, substance use, and domestic violence exposure concerns that may impact pediatric patients and families. 4. Identify pediatric mental health screening tools and describe how hospital policy may guide assessment, referral, safety planning, and psychiatric intervention. 5. Describe assessment considerations related to adolescent substance use, including type and frequency of use, access to substances, disclosure to guardians, confidentiality, and state-specific requirements.
Meet Your Course Author, Tiffany Ferguson
Tiffany Ferguson is CEO of Phoenix Medical Management, Inc. Tiffany serves as an adjunct professor at Northern Arizona University, Department of Social Work, and as the Vice-Chair of American College of Physician Advisors (ACPA) UM Ops Committee. Tiffany is co-author of The Hospital Guide to Contemporary Case Management through HcPro. She is a contributor for RACmonitor; she also serves on the editorial board for CMSAToday and Care Management. She is a weekly correspondent for the news podcast Talk Ten Tuesday. After practicing as a hospital social worker, she went on to serve as Director of Case Management and quickly assumed responsibilities in system level leadership roles in Health & Care Management, which includes CM, UR, CDI, HIM, and coding. She has held C-level responsibility for a large employed medical group which included value-based arrangements and outpatient care management. Tiffany is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and earned her Master of Social Work from UCLA. She is a licensed social worker and holds the ACM, CMAC, ACPA-C, and FCM credentials.
Meet Your Course Author, Kalie Wolfinger
Kalie Wolfinger, LCSW, is the Manager of Clinical Services for Phoenix Medical Management. Kalie brings nearly 13 years of clinical social work expertise across primary care and hospital settings. Her diverse experience includes roles in emergency department clinical social work, integrated behavioral health within primary care, and case management in hospital inpatient psychiatric units and general hospital settings. In addition to her healthcare contributions, Kalie is an educator in higher education, teaching both Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs. She also maintains a private practice, specializing in supporting first responders, crisis intervention, trauma, and dissociation and is certified through the ACMA. She holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a focus on Nursing Leadership.
Course Agenda and Outline
Module 1: Role of Pediatric and PICU Case Management Overview of the case manager or clinical social worker role during pediatric and PICUadmissions, including family engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, care coordination, resource connection, and safe discharge planning. Module 2: Pediatric Assessment Review of pediatric assessment considerations, including the family’s understanding of the medical plan, caregiver capacity, home supports, barriers to care, safety concerns, discharge needs, and available resources. Module 3: Pediatric Mental Health Overview of pediatric and adolescent mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and behavioral health needs. Includes discussion of screening tools such as GAD 7, PHQ 9 Modified for Adolescents, SCARED, C SSRS, ASQ, and Vanderbilt, depending on age, developmental status, and hospital policy. Module 4: Adolescent Substance Use Assessment and care coordination considerations related to adolescent substance use, including type and frequency of use, how substances are obtained, education about risks, confidentiality, guardian involvement, state statutes, and referral options. Module 5: Domestic Violence Exposure Discussion of domestic violence exposure in pediatric patients, including whether the child witnessed, directly experienced, or was aware of violence in the home. Includes safety planning, communication with the non-offending caregiver when appropriate, mandated reporting considerations, and risk of escalation.
Course Completion Requirements
The course is completed after viewing the modules and completing the reading. Each module includes practical tools, real-world examples, and a brief knowledge check to reinforce learning. Post-test requirements-Participants must achieve a passing score of at least 80% to receive continuing education credit. If a participant does not pass on the first attempt, they will be provided with one opportunity to retake the test after reviewing the course materials. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the participant will be encouraged to revisit the course content and may request additional support or clarification before attempting the test again. The post-test must be completed, along with the course evaluation before a certificate is issued. The course certificate will be delivered via email within one week of evaluation completion. Phoenix Medical Management has been approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #17829, for 1.0 Contact Hour. Approved by The Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) for 1.0 contact hour for CCM® Board-Certified Case Managers. Activity code and approval number will be provided by CCMC. Phoenix Medical Management, 1902, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/10/25-11/10/26. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 general continuing education credit.
Registration and Info
Please contact Vanessa Blutrich at [email protected] to register and if you have any questions, concerns or need special accommodations. System Requirements: Internet access and a modern web browser.
$65.00