🏅Your Path to Certification
Your Path to Certification
Earn your way up three evidence-based tiers. Each builds on the last. Finish all three and receive your Certified Prepared Medical Professional · Sickle Cell Disease badge and printable certificate, recognized across the FFH Network and submittable for CE / contact-hour credit through your hospital's LMS.
Aware · Identity: Bias-Aware Practitioner
You know SCD pathophysiology, the bias patterns, and what the patient brings to the bedside. Layer 1 — Clinical Foundations.
- Complete Modules 1–4 (Clinical Foundations)
- Score ≥4/5 on each module's Post-Check (same items as Pre-Check)
- Recite the unit's time-to-first-dose target and SCD acute pain pathway
- Read the Force Field Emergency Card before scoring pain on every SCD patient
Active · Identity: Protocol Champion
You run the ER, discharge, and phone-triage workflows on protocol — every shift, every patient. Layer 2 — ER Protocol · Discharge · Phone Triage.
- Complete Modules 5–7 (ER on-protocol pain · Discharge · Phone triage)
- Demonstrate the SCD acute pain pathway end-to-end with a peer observing
- Run one phone-triage call using the structured script
- Document the full arrival → triage → IV → first-dose → reassess timeline on every SCD ED visit
- Hit the unit's time-to-first-dose target on at least 5 consecutive SCD ED visits
Certified Prepared Medical Professional · Identity: SCD Mentor
You lead the M&M, mentor the next nurse, drive policy, and report unit data into the FFH PHIT ROI study. Layer 3 — Mentoring, Advocacy & Continuous Improvement.
- Complete Modules 8–10 (M&M · Mentoring · Advocacy/CE/Certification)
- Onboard at least one new nurse using the 60-second SCD pathway briefing
- Co-present one de-identified SCD case at unit M&M (system-mapping framing)
- Submit unit time-to-first-dose audit data to FFH PHIT (quarterly)
- Sign the Prepared Medical Professional Pledge
- Submit CE / contact-hour paperwork through your hospital LMS
📋Master Pre / Post Assessment
Where You Stand — Clinical Confidence Before & After
Seven dimensions of being a Prepared Medical Professional · SCD. Answer once at the start of the course and again at the end. Your goal is to see real growth across pathophysiology fluency, bias awareness, ER protocol fluency, discharge & phone triage, and optimal utilization — routing patients to the right care, at the right time, in the right place. Your answers stay on this device; aggregate de-identified deltas feed the FFH PHIT ROI study with your consent.
📈 Your Pre→Post Growth
📞Know Who to Call — Before the ER
Know Who to Call — Before the ER
For most non-life-threatening SCD events, your specialty team can help faster than the ER and prevent unnecessary admissions. Save these numbers in your phone today. The numbers below are placeholders — your institution will fill in the right ones for you.
🌡️ Fever ≥ 101°F (38.5°C) — call within 1 hour
People with SCD are at high risk for serious infection. Don't wait, don't drive to the ER first. Call [Hematology On-Call: (555) 222-9000] 24/7. They'll tell you if you can come to [Day Hospital, 3rd floor, M–F 7a–9p] or need to go to ER. Bring your Health Passport.
🩹 Pain crisis you can't break at home — call before going anywhere
Try your home plan first (heat, hydration, scheduled meds, breathing). If pain is still ≥ 6/10 after [2 hours], call [SCD Day Hospital: (555) 222-9100]. They can usually treat you faster than the ER and avoid a hospital stay.
💬 Routine questions, refills, scheduling
Use [MyChart portal] first — most messages answered within 1 business day. For meds about to run out, call [SCD pharmacy line: (555) 222-9050].
🚑 Call 911 right away for any of these
Sudden weakness on one side · trouble speaking · vision change · chest pain or trouble breathing · fainting · a painful erection lasting > 4 hours (priapism) · severe headache. These can be stroke, acute chest syndrome, or other emergencies — don't drive yourself.
📚The 10 Prepared Medical Professional Competencies
A Prepared Medical Professional builds three kinds of clinical literacy — and grows into three identities. Each competency works through the FFH three pillars: Learn It · Live It · Share It.
Bias-Aware Practitioner
You read the SCD patient on protocol — not on impression — and close the time-to-first-dose gap.
Protocol Champion
You run the ER, discharge, and phone-triage workflows without drift, every shift, every patient.
SCD Mentor
You teach the next nurse, lead the M&M, and turn one trained clinician into a unit-wide standard.
🧠 Clinical Foundations Learn It · Tier 1 Aware
"I know SCD pathophysiology, the bias patterns, and what the patient brings to the bedside." The foundation. Without this, every shift starts behind.
Pain Crisis Recognition & Anti-Bias Triage
The first 60 seconds. The operational definition of vaso-occlusive crisis, the 3 documented patterns of implicit bias in SCD pain assessment, and the time-to-first-dose target your unit is held accountable to.
SCD Pathophysiology Refresher
HbS polymerization, hemolysis, vaso-occlusion, endothelial activation, functional asplenia, chronic inflammation. The mechanisms that explain why every clinical decision matters.
The Three Life-Threats: ACS · Splenic Sequestration · Stroke
Acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, and stroke (overt + silent) are the SCD presentations that kill. Recognition signs, time-critical workups, and escalation paths.
Reading the Patient's Tools
The Force Field Emergency Card, OnDemand Pain Plan, baseline labs, baseline pain scale. Your patient walks in with the data — your job is to use it.
🩺 ER Protocol · Discharge · Phone Triage Live It · Tier 2 Active
"I run the workflows on protocol, every shift." This is the contracted core of the course — the three workflows where SCD care most often goes right or wrong. Optimal utilization lives here.
ER On-Protocol Pain Management
Time-to-first-dose target, IV opioid dosing per pathway, oxygen, IV fluids, warming, hematology consult notification, reassessment cadence. The unit's accountability checklist.
Discharge Criteria & Workflow
When it's safe to discharge a vaso-occlusive crisis. The discharge packet (return precautions, hematology follow-up window, refill plan, school/work note). Closing the loop with the patient's hematologist.
Phone Triage Decision Tree
Vaso-occlusive crisis at home vs ED-required. Day Hospital routing. When to escalate to hematology. The script and the documentation that protect both the patient and the system.
🎓 Mentoring · M&M · Advocacy Share It · Tier 3 Certified
"I lift the next clinician. I lead the debrief. I shape the unit's standard." This is what turns one trained nurse into a unit-wide standard — and a unit into a network.
M&M, Debrief & Continuous Improvement
Closing the loop on bias and protocol drift. Time-to-first-dose audits, complaint reviews, de-identified case M&M, what gets measured + reported back to the unit.
Mentoring Junior Staff
The 60-second SCD onboarding for every new nurse. Bedside coaching, scripts for redirecting non-pathway language, building the unit's bias-aware default state.
Advocacy, CE & Certification
SCDAA chapter partnership, hospital policy work, CE/contact-hour pathways, FFH Network certification, and how your unit's data feeds the PHIT ROI study.
🩸Form & Function — Sickle Cell Disease in 3D
Form & Function — Sickle Cell Disease in 3D
Your SCD patients are learning this same anatomy in their Prepared Patient course. Walking through it yourself sharpens your own model, and closing the patient–clinician gap on terminology is one of the highest-leverage things a unit can do. Same BioDigital 3D explorer, same vocabulary, two audiences.
🩸 Red blood cells & vessels
HbS polymerization → sickled cells jam vessels (vaso-occlusion) and break apart faster than the marrow can replace them (hemolysis). Hydroxyurea raises HbF and reduces sickling.
🦠 Spleen
Auto-infarcted in early childhood → functional asplenia → infection risk for life. Drives the daily-penicillin and full-vaccination protocols.
🫁 Lungs
Acute Chest Syndrome — top cause of SCD adult mortality. Sickling in pulmonary vessels + infection + atelectasis. Watch for chest pain, fever, hypoxia post-VOC.
🧠 Brain
Silent & overt strokes, especially pediatric HbSS. TCD screening ages 2–16. Cognitive deficits routinely missed unless screened.
🦴 Bone marrow & joints
Vaso-occlusion in bone → pain crises (the hallmark). AVN of hips and shoulders is common in adults. Pain is real — treat on protocol.
🫘 Kidneys
Hypertonic medulla traps sickle cells → progressive loss of urine concentration → proteinuria → CKD. Annual UACR + eGFR; ACE/ARB at first sign of albumin.
💡 Through-line for clinicians: five levers that change outcomes
(1) Disease-modifying therapy — hydroxyurea (HbF induction), L-glutamine, crizanlizumab, voxelotor, gene therapy (Casgevy/Lyfgenia 2023). (2) Infection prevention — daily penicillin (peds) + full pneumococcal/meningococcal/Hib/influenza/COVID vaccination for life. (3) Hydration + warmth + oxygen — keep cells flexible. (4) On-protocol acute pain management — no second-class care; the time-to-first-dose target is the operational measure. (5) Annual surveillance — TCD (peds), eye, kidney, sleep apnea, mental health, cognitive.
👥My Care Team
My Care Team
Your team is bigger than just the doctor. Click any card to edit, or click the + tile to add a new team member. Saved on this device. The Force Field Emergency Card below auto-syncs from this list.
📖Glossary — words you'll hear
Plain-English definitions for terms doctors and labs use. Tap to expand.
Hydroxyurea (Droxia, Siklos)
Goal: HbF > 20% for many patients.Voxelotor (Oxbryta), Crizanlizumab (Adakveo), L-glutamine (Endari)
Acute Chest Syndrome (ACS)
Splenic Sequestration
Priapism
Transcranial Doppler (TCD)
Reticulocyte count (retic)
Genotype: HbSS, HbSC, HbSβ⁰, HbSβ⁺
Curative options: HCT & gene therapy
"Adult care transition" (ages 14–25)
🧪Lab Test Tutor — what your numbers mean
Lab Test Tutor — what your numbers mean
Don't just see a number — know what it means and what to ask. Your "normal" may be different from a friend's. Ask your hematologist to write your personal baseline in the column on the right.
| Test | What it measures | Typical adult range | What to ask if it's off | My baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemoglobin (Hgb) | How much oxygen-carrying protein you have. | SCD adults often run 6–9 g/dL | Is this drop > 2 from my baseline? | [fill in] |
| Reticulocyte % | New red cells your marrow is making. | SCD: usually 5–20% | If LOW with anemia — parvovirus screen? | [fill in] |
| HbF (fetal hemoglobin) | Best protective hemoglobin. Hydroxyurea raises it. | Goal often > 20% | Should we increase hydroxyurea? | [fill in] |
| LDH | Marker of red cell breakdown. | Often elevated in SCD | Is mine higher than my baseline today? | [fill in] |
| Ferritin | Iron stores — high after many transfusions. | < 1000 ng/mL ideal | Do I need an iron-removal medicine? | [fill in] |
| Creatinine / GFR | Kidney function. | GFR > 90 normal | Should I avoid NSAIDs? | [fill in] |
| Urine albumin | Early kidney damage signal. | < 30 mg/g normal | Should I start an ACE/ARB? | [fill in] |
| O₂ saturation | How well your lungs deliver oxygen. | ≥ 95% in clinic | Is mine running low? Sleep study? | [fill in] |
➕Add-On Modules & Earnable Badges
Add-On Modules & Earnable Badges
Stackable modules that match your situation. Complete one to earn an extra badge on your certificate. Your institution can add their own.
👶 Pregnancy with SCD
Pre-conception counseling, transfusion strategy, anesthesia plan, postpartum risks.
🌱 Transition to Adult Care
Ages 14–25. Build your portable summary and meet your adult team.
🧪 In a Clinical Trial?
Add: protocol literacy, side-effect tracking, when to call the study coordinator vs your usual team.
💉 Considering Gene Therapy / HCT
Eligibility, fertility preservation, what the conditioning weeks look like, follow-up.
✈️ Travel & SCD
Altitude, dehydration, cold, time-zone meds, packing your Passport, finding a hospital abroad.
🎓 At School / At Work
Sample 504 plans, ADA accommodations, cooling breaks, how to talk to teachers/HR.
👨👩👧 For Caregivers & Siblings
How to feel for the spleen, what to put in the go-bag, taking care of yourself.
+ Add Your Institution's Module
Drop in your own — chemo ed, infusion-pump training, port-access teach-back, anything.
🛡️Force Field Emergency Card — fridge · wallet · EMT-ready
🛡️ Force Field Emergency Card FRIDGE · WALLET · EMT-READY
A one-page emergency record for any EMT, ER, new doctor, or transition visit. Print one for the fridge, one for your wallet. Updates anytime. This is the document you hand to a stranger when you can't speak for yourself.
🤝 My Care Team — call list for any clinician picking up my care
📘My Health Passport — visit log · questions · trackers
📘 My Health Passport PATIENT-OWNED JOURNAL
This is your record — not your hospital's. Log every visit, capture every question for next time, and watch your own trends. Many of you get care at more than one hospital, on more than one record system. This Passport travels with you. Future versions will let you import data directly from your patient portals (the "Blue Button" vision).
🩺Working With a Prepared Patient
Your patient is going through a structured, evidence-based course. Here's how to get the most out of every visit, reduce ER use, and partner well. Built on the AHRQ SHARE Approach, the IOM teach-back method, and the 2014 NHLBI & 2020 ASH SCD guidelines.
The SHARE Approach — your 5-step playbook
Use these steps in any order. Cycle back. Use teach-back at every transition. Source: AHRQ Pub. No. 25-0005 (Oct 2024).
💬Teach-Back & Risk Communication
The two highest-yield, lowest-cost SDM techniques. Use both at every visit.
🔁 Teach-Back (1–2 min)
- "Just so I know I explained it well — what would you tell your sister about why we're starting hydroxyurea?"
- Open-ended ("what" / "how"), not yes/no.
- If they get it wrong: "I must not have explained it well — let me try a different way." Then teach-back again.
- Use it for: pain plan, hydroxyurea ramp-up, when to call you vs ER, fever rule, port-flush technique.
- Document teach-back in your note — it's a quality measure and a billable element of care.
🔢 Communicating Numbers
- Use absolute risk, not relative. "13 out of 100" beats "13%" beats "1 in 8" beats "low risk."
- Keep denominators & timeframes constant when comparing options.
- Show, don't tell: icon arrays, Wong-Baker FACES, written summary.
- For lab numbers: give the action threshold, not just the value. "Your ferritin is 1,200 — over 1,000 we usually start iron removal."
⚠️SCD-Specific Clinical Guardrails
Do these every visit. Skipping them is the most common reason a Prepared Patient ends up in the ER.
🟢 Every Visit Checklist
- Confirm hydroxyurea dose & HbF goal; ramp to MTD if labs allow.
- Pain plan: home opioid script, when to escalate, no NSAIDs if GFR < 60.
- Pneumococcal, meningococcal (ACWY + B), influenza, COVID, Hib up to date.
- Eye exam yearly (proliferative retinopathy — esp. HbSC).
- BP and urine albumin every visit; ACE/ARB if > 30 mg/g.
- Mental health screen (PHQ-2/9 + GAD-7); pain ≠ depression but they coexist.
🚨 Red-Flag Triage Patients Should Know
- Fever ≥ 101°F → assess within 1 hour (CBC, blood culture, broad-spectrum if criteria met).
- Pain + cough/fever/low O₂ → CXR, sat, transfuse threshold, incentive spirometry.
- Sudden focal weakness, speech, vision → stroke pathway; transfuse to HbS < 30%.
- Priapism > 4 hours → urgent urology + IV fluids + analgesia.
- Pediatric: spleen palpable / pale / lethargic → splenic sequestration.
🌍Cultural Competence & Trust
SCD disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities. Many patients have been under-treated or accused of drug-seeking. Repair starts in your office.
- Start with belief. Pain is what the patient says it is. SCD pain is real, severe, and often poorly treated.
- Ask about their model. "What do you think causes a crisis for you? What do you think helps?" Use that language.
- Use qualified medical interpreters — never family, never minor children except in true emergencies.
- Invite the family in. Decisions about transition, transplant, gene therapy, fertility, pregnancy are family decisions in many cultures.
- Name the bias. "I know SCD patients have often been doubted in ERs. We track that here, and you can tell me if it ever happens."
🏥Customize for Your Institution
Clone this course and replace the highlighted blocks with your own information. Each editable field below is a placeholder — change it once and it propagates through the patient view.
📞 What Should Replace the When-to-Call Block
- 24/7 hematology on-call number
- Day Hospital / SCD infusion clinic hours & address
- Specialty pharmacy line
- Behavioral health / crisis line
- Patient portal login URL
👤 Who Is Your "Susan"?
- Name, role, photo, calendly/booking link.
- What teach-back / device check-ins they own (port flushing, infusion pump, hydroxyurea ramp).
- How patients reach them between visits.
📚 Add Your Own Modules
- Your clinical trial protocols (chemo ed, gene therapy run-up).
- Local 504 plan template, school-letter template.
- Insurance & financial-aid pathways.
- Local peer support partners (e.g., 360 SCD Hub, SCD Foundation Arizona).
🎨 Re-skin in 2 Lines of CSS
--inst-primary: your brand color- Replace the FFH × 360 SCD Hub × [Your Institution] cobrand pill in the hero
- Drop in your logo PNG (white version) — same 48px height as FFH logo
📚 Evidence Base — what this course is built on
- AHRQ SHARE Approach — 5-step shared decision making framework. AHRQ Pub. 25-0005, Oct 2024. ahrq.gov/sdm
- AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (3rd ed.) — teach-back, plain language, accessible materials. AHRQ Pub. 23-0075, March 2024.
- NHLBI Evidence-Based Management of SCD: Expert Panel Report (2014) — preventive screening, hydroxyurea, transfusion, infection prevention.
- ASH 2020 Guidelines for SCD — pain (acute & chronic), cerebrovascular disease, transfusion support, stem-cell transplant.
- AHRQ PEMAT — Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool. Used to grade understandability & actionability.
- Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) — peer-led, self-efficacy backbone of the Tier 3 advocacy work.
- AHRQ Patient Activation Measure (PAM) — the "Aware → Active → Certified" ladder maps to PAM levels 1–4.
- 360 SCD Hub (360scdhub.org) — community partner content, peer mentors, regional resource connections.
- FFH Prepared Patient · Asthma course — sister course in the FFH Academy; this build mirrors its structure for series consistency.
Course content is educational and not a substitute for medical advice from your own clinicians. Institutions cloning this course are responsible for accuracy of all customized blocks.