Disability Etiquette and Awareness Training – For Nurses and Nurse Residents

This activity will improve feelings of empowerment for both nurse/ staff member and patients. It will also help to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. 

Target Audience

This course is designed for nurse practitioners, nurses, and other health care professionals who seek improved quality of care for the patients.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Recognize the definition of disability.
  • Employ their duties and obligations as a nurse, as defined by disability law.
  • Identify key requirements or deficiencies in the built environment.
  • Categorize and use methods for providing effective communication with patients with disabilities that affect communication
  • Know what questions one can and cannot ask about service animals.
  • Identify and locate common (and recommended) accommodation approaches and tools (for specific disabilities & for disabilities in general).
  • Know how to locate and/ or obtain Effective Communication iPads; & they will be able Effective Communication Toolkit; Blind/ Low Vision Toolkit; and/ or Assistive Listening Toolkit(s), as needed, and understand their applications.
  • Implement effective and appropriate patient care based on tips for caring for people in different disability categories.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.50 Attendance
Course opens: 
02/20/2024
Course expires: 
02/20/2027

Planning Committee:
Ashli Molinero, DSc - Director, UPMC Disabilities Resource Center at UPMC

Course Directors:
Kaitlin A Kerr, RN, MSN - Clinical Educator for Disability Awareness - Disabilities Resources Center at UPMC

Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
No planners, members of the planning committee, speakers, presenters, authors, content reviewers and/or anyone else in a position to control the content of this education activity have relevant financial relationships to disclose.

In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Nursing (CNE)
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.5 contact hours.

Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity.


Disclaimer Statement:
The information presented at this activity represents the views and opinions of the individual presenters, and does not constitute the opinion or endorsement of, or promotion by, the UPMC Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences, UPMC / University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or Affiliates and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Reasonable efforts have been taken intending for educational subject matter to be presented in a balanced, unbiased fashion and in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, each program attendee must always use his/her own personal and professional judgment when considering further application of this information, particularly as it may relate to patient diagnostic or treatment decisions including, without limitation, FDA-approved uses and any off-label uses.

Available Credit

  • 1.50 ANCC
    UPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
  • 1.50 Attendance
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