Sleep Certificate Program
The certificate program in Sleep provides an inter-disciplinary, collaborative plan of coursework that prepares students to apply theoretical concepts of sleep for implementation in practice and research. The School of Nursing at the University of PA is a premiere institute in sleep research working collaboratively with the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology and the sleep centers at the Hospital of the University of PA, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The program is designed to be flexible to allow for a combination of online courses and clinical experiences that will meet the needs of each student. The 3 courses that are included have been developed based on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Training in Behavioral Sleep Medicine.
The courses provide the student the opportunity to work collaboratively with other health care professionals in sleep medicine. The post-master's certificate will be academically rigorous focusing on research, education, and practice and will train students to practice sleep in the private and public health care sector, as well as in specialty units such as sleep laboratories. Students may use the courses to prepare for the AASM exam, as concentration courses in doctoral study and additional training in postdoctoral fellowship.
Requirements:
Participants must be an Advanced Practice Nurse and have a master's degree in nursing. Courses are designed to build on the previous course, therfore courses must be taken in semester order. 100% attendance is required as well as pass all assignments. At the end of each course an evaluation must be completed and return for continuing nursing education credit. The Post Master's Certificate in Sleep will only be issued if all three courses have been completed and passed.
Course of Study
Fall 2009 - NURS701 - Sleep Across the Lifespan
September-December 2009
This one semester survey course provides an overview of sleep across the lifespan. It will consider normal sleep during childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and changes associated with aging. Components of normal sleep will be addressed in addition to discussing the health and societal consequences of sleep deprivation. Measurement of sleep will also be addressed.
This course has been approved for up to 39 contact hours.
Spring 2010 - NURS702 - Diagnosis and Management of Selected Sleep Disorders
January - May 2010
This course explores the diagnosis, and management of common sleep disorders across the lifespan. Symptoms, pre-disposing factors, differential diagnosis, and management will be discussed. The use of questionnaires and common diagnostic tests and questionnaires will also be included in course content. Special emphasis will be placed on cognitive-behavioral therapies and strategies to improve CPAP compliance.
This course has been approved for up to 42 contact hours.
Summer 2010 - NURS703 - Clinical Practicum in Sleep
June - August 2010
This one semester clinical course provides a supervised practicum in managing patients with a variety of sleep disorders. The initial two weeks of the practicum will be completed onsite at the Penn Sleep Disorders Center with the *remaining clinical experiences completed under the guidance of a preceptor in the student's geographic area. Clinical experiences at the Penn Sleep Disorders Center will be selected to expose students the use of cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment of insomnia and to a variety of patients that may not be seen in smaller centers.
This course has been approved for up to 60 contact hours.
* Contact Hours are not approved for clinical experieces under the guidance of a preceptor in student's geographic area.
Technology Requirements:
* High speed internet access
* Microsoft Office 2007
* Adobe Acrobat Reader (Free download)
* Quicktime (Free download)
Fees: (Download Registration Form)
Registration fee is due prior to beginning of course(s).
All three courses paid prior to 1st course = $3,200.
If paying prior to each session = $1,300 individually.
To receive the Post Master's Certificate in Sleep all 3 courses must be successfully completed.
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Center for Professional Development is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the american Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Information: Joan Polsky, MSN, RN - jpolsky@nursing.upenn.edu