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 human trafficking, child abuse and neglect, mandated reporting, child protection agency involvement, pediatric trauma response, specialty care and discharge planning, family dynamics and parent rights, and pediatric end-of-life care. 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. Recognize possible indicators of human trafficking and describe trauma-informed response strategies, including trust building, informed consent, safety planning, and appropriate referrals. 2. Explain mandated reporting responsibilities related to suspected child abuse, neglect, exploitation, domestic violence exposure, unsafe discharge concerns, and refusal of medically necessary care. 3. Describe care coordination needs for children with chronic medical conditions, congenital deficits, complex specialty care, durable medical equipment, and recurrent hospital admissions. 4. Identify case management considerations when a child is already involved with a child welfare or child protection agency, including custody documentation, assigned worker communication, consent, visitation, and discharge planning. 5. Describe how parent rights, family dynamics, guardianship status, parental conflict, caregiver impairment, and AMA discharge requests may affect pediatric care coordination and safety planning.
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: The Role of Pediatric Case Management, Part II Understanding foundational pediatric case management concepts and focuses on higher-risk and more complex pediatric situations. Topics include human trafficking, pediatric trauma response, specialty care and discharge planning, child welfare involvement, family dynamics and parent rights, and pediatric end-of-life care. Module 2: Human Trafficking Recognition of potential indicators of human trafficking, including unexplained injuries, inconsistent stories, fearfulness, control by another person, limited access to belongings or identification, isolation, frequent relocation, or runaway history. Includes trauma informed care, informed consent, safety planning, and referral pathways. Module 3: Child Welfare Involvement Overview of mandated reporting responsibilities when there is suspicion or evidence of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Includes objective documentation, limiting repeated questioning, reporting to the appropriate hotline or agency, cross reporting to law enforcement when needed, and collaboration with the medical team. Module 4: Pediatric Trauma Response Care coordination and psychosocial support following traumatic events such as car accidents, injuries, or other acute events. Includes assessment of the child’s trauma response, family support, cultural or faith considerations, coordination with law enforcement or child protection agencies when applicable, grounding strategies, and outpatient referrals. Module 5: Specialty Care and Discharge Planning Overview of pediatric discharge needs, including developmental follow up, feeding therapy, therapies, medical specialties, home oxygen, enteral feeding equipment, apnea monitors, home health, medications, insurance barriers, transportation, rural access issues, utilities, and caregiver teaching. Module 6: Family Dynamics and Parent Rights Discussion of family dynamics that may affect pediatric care, including separated or divorced parents, co-parenting conflict, guardianship documentation, parents or guardians under the influence, safety concerns, refusal of care, AMA discharge requests, and circumstances that may require child welfare involvement. Module 7: Pediatric End-of-Life Care Focus on the case manager’s role in supporting children, families, and care teams during serious illness, dying, death, and bereavement.
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