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Cruise Conference Planning For Your Association

Current Topics in Primary Care

7-Night Western Caribbean & Coco Cay Cruise
Round-trip Miami, Florida
February 20 - 27, 2022
Royal Caribbean's <em>Oasis of the Seas</em>
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas
16.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
16 ACPE Credits
CLE Credit may be available.
16.0 Contact Hours
Course Fees
$995 for Physicians, Attorneys, Psychologists, Doctors of Pharmacy, & Dentists
$750 for Physician Assistants
$595 for Nurses, Residents, Students & Others

Target Audience
Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, PharmacistsAttorneys
Program Purpose / Objectives

The purpose of these lectures is to provide an experienced clinician's perspective on the delivery of individualized, comprehensive, patient-centered care and to identify and manage properly important clinical issues in primary care medical practice. Participants are expected to learn new approaches and techniques in medical interviewing (e.g., taking appropriate sexual and spiritual histories), diagnostic reasoning (e.g., determining when to perform imaging studies in patients with headache, appropriate diagnostic work-up of individuals with possible hypogonadism), clinical skills (e.g., appropriate methods for determining accurate blood pressure readings), medication management (e.g., appropriate use of hypnotic medications), and health counseling (e.g., encouraging proper dietary measures and exercise).

Topics and Objectives
  1. Health Promotion 1: Encouraging a Healthy Body, Mind, and Spirit
    • Assess the patient’s current state of physical, psychological, and spiritual health
    • Analyze the patient’s current dietary and exercise practices
    • Discuss an individualized health-promotion strategy for the patient
  2. Health Promotion 2: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
  3. Hypertension: What Goes Up Must Come Down
    • Describe the appropriate measurement and classification of hypertension
    • Discuss the laboratory testing and imaging needed to diagnose the most common causes of secondary hypertension
    • Describe the major classes of anti-hypertensive treatment and discuss the particular type of patient likely to benefit from each class of medication
  4. "Oh, My Aching Head!": Managing Headache
    • Discuss the appropriate use of brain imaging in evaluating patients with headache
    • Describe the appropriate use of abortive and preventive medications in the treatment of migraine
    • Describe the distinguishing clinical characteristics of tension-type and cluster headache
  5. "Sick and Tired of Being Tired": Approach to Chronic Fatigue
  6. Sleep Disorders: Insomnia and Hypersomnia
    • Describe the four stages of sleep and identify sleep disorders associated with each stage of sleep
    • Discuss elements of a sleep hygiene program
    • Explain the appropriate use of stimulant medications for patients with excessive daytime somnolence
  7. Male Sexual Disorders: Restoring Vitality and Virility
    • Elicit a thorough, non-judgmental sexual history
    • Describe appropriate laboratory and radiologic testing in the evaluation of male sexual problems
    • Discuss the effects, risks, and benefits of testosterone replacement and medications for erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction
  8. Diagnosing and Managing Depression: Overcoming the Blues
  9. Get Me Out of Here!": Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia in Primary Care
  10. Somatization: Illness as a Way of Life
  11. Enhancing Clinician-Patient Communication: Becoming a Healer
    • Distinguish the technical, biomedical aspects of clinician’s role from the personal and psychosocial aspects of care
    • Describe specific attitudes and values needed to create a healing environment with patients
    • Apply techniques for establishing and maintaining rapport with patients and enhancing clinician-patient communication
  12. The Faith Factor: Practicing Spiritually-Sensitive Medicine
    • Elicit a spiritual history in an ethically-appropriate manner
    • Analyze the physiologic, psychological, social, and lifestyle effects of religious beliefs upon health outcomes
    • Describe the spectrum of possible interventions available for addressing patients’ spiritual needs
Conference Sessions generally take place on days at sea (as itinerary allows), giving you plenty of time to enjoy your meals, evenings and ports of call with your companion, family and friends.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All conferees, their families, and guests must book their cruise within the University at Sea® meeting group through University at Sea® at 800-926-3775 or by registering online. This ensures our company can provide conference services and complimentary social amenities to all meeting participants and their guests. Thank you for your cooperation.
Faculty

Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP

Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP
Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine (retired)
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Executive Healthcare Services (retired)
Dale A. Matthews, MD, FACP has served on the faculties of Yale University, the University of Connecticut, and Georgetown University and has lectured at over 30 medical schools. He gives lectures on primary care general internal medicine, the doctor-patient relationship, and the psychological and spiritual dimensions of medicine, including the role of religion, faith, and prayer in clinical care. He is the author of The Faith Factor: Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer (Viking, 1998), a four-volume research work (The Faith Factor: An Annotated Bibliography of Clinical Research on Spiritual Subjects), three documentaries, and over 65 peer-reviewed scientific articles, book chapters, and other publications. Dr. Matthews is a graduate of Princeton (AB, cum laude, Romance Languages, 1976) and Duke University School of Medicine (1980). His internship and residency in internal medicine took place at the University of Connecticut (1980-3) and he completed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Program and Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at Yale (1983-5). In 1989, he was named the George Morris Piersol Teaching and Research Scholar of the American College of Physicians. He has received many awards for his compassionate patient care, including Washingtonian Magazine Top Doctor recognition. He has appeared on numerous television shows, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, and Good Morning America. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Demetra, a certified public accountant. He has two adult children and three grandchildren. He enjoys family and church activities, Bible study and teaching, golf, baseball, piano, singing, songwriting, ballroom dancing, travel, and photography.

TBA

TBA

Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.

Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.
We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.

Cruise Itinerary

DATE PORT OF CALL ARRIVE DEPART
Sun Feb 20 Miami, Florida
- 4:00 pm
Mon Feb 21 Coco Cay, Bahamas
7:00 am 5:00 pm
Tue Feb 22 *At Sea - Cruising
- -
Wed Feb 23 Cozumel, Mexico
7:00 am 6:00 pm
Thu Feb 24 Roatan, Honduras
9:00 am 6:00 pm
Fri Feb 25 Costa Maya, Mexico
8:00 am 5:00 pm
Sat Feb 26 *At Sea - Cruising
- -
Sun Feb 27 Miami, Florida
6:00 am -
*Tentative course schedule, actual class times may differ.

Ports of Call

Miami, Florida - As far as vacation destinations go, Miami tops most sun-seekers’ lists. With its gorgeous beaches, vibrant neighborhoods and melting pot of cultures, the Magic City is the perfect place to spend a few days before your Caribbean island hop. Ahead of your cruise from Miami, jump-start your morning in true Miami style with a Cuban cafecito from a ventanita — a streetside shop window. Then climb the historic lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on quiet Key Biscayne before lounging on the island’s secluded sandy shores. If you’re looking for a bit more action, head to South Beach — home to world-class restaurants, nightlife, shopping and lively beaches, all set against snap-worthy Art Deco buildings. Art lovers who visit Miami can head to Wynwood and explore the neighborhood’s colorful street murals and local galleries. Or take a trip back in time at the Renaissance-style Vizcaya estate, which offers a glimpse into Miami’s dazzling past.

Coco Cay, Bahamas - Located in the middle of the Caribbean's bright blue water lies the secluded island of CocoCay. With its white-sand beaches and spectacular surroundings, CocoCay is a wonderland of adventure. Reserved exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests, this tropical paradise has recently been updated with new aquatic facilities, nature trails and a ton of great places to just sit back, relax and enjoy a tropical drink.

CocoCay Map

Perfect Day at CocoCay

At Sea - Cruising - Cruising

Cozumel, Mexico - With its lively tropical reefs, crystal-clear waters and ancient ruins, Cozumel is ripe for one-of-a-kind adventures. Cruise to Cozumel and head to Chankanaab National Park, where you can snorkel among the colorful reefs and schools of tropical fish that give this island its premier diving status. Or travel back in time on an adventure through the towering Maya ruins of Tulum. When you’re done exploring, unwind with a beachside massage at Playa Mia. From culture savoring to soaking up sunshine, you’ll find a world of adventure waiting for you in Cozumel.

Roatan, Honduras - The island of Roatan is known for its glittering bays and colorful coral reefs perfect for outdoor adventures like snorkeling and scuba diving. Discover your inner pirate in Roatan, where you can taste local rum, swim among starfish at Starfish Alley, or sample fresh seafood at local restaurants.

The 40-mile-long island borders the second-longest barrier reef on the globe, which attracts many divers each year. Go horseback riding at Little French Cay or unwind in paradise at West Bay. Don’t forget to try conch fritters and rum cake during your visit.

Costa Maya, Mexico - Exploring the dense tropical vegetation and wide sandy bays of the Costa Maya, it's easy to imagine the days when sacrifice and slavery, rite and ritual were rampant in the Mayan culture. Even today, the countless ruins of temple walls, stairs and secret pathways exude magic and mystery. And when your archaeology lesson is complete, glorious stretches of coral sand may inspire you to build your own empire-of sand castles, of course!

Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.

Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.
We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.
SHORE EXCURSIONS
Please note that our shore excursions are operated separately and
independently of those offered by the cruise line.
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