The St. Jude Global Academy in Pediatric Onco-Critical Care is a 16-module online course designed to improve health care providers’ knowledge about the care of critically ill children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Developed for pediatric intensivists and other clinicians who specialize in the treatment of pediatric hematology-oncology patients who develop critical illness, GA-POCC helps participants learn to:
Completion of GA-POCC is a pre-requisite for participation in Global Critical Care Program offerings including the GCCP Quality Improvement Workshop, St. Jude PICU Observership program and GCCP Workshop.
One in every three to four children with cancer will need pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) care at least once during their course of treatment. Unfortunately, these patients also have a higher risk of death during critical illnesses. This risk is especially high in settings with limited resources.
Common critical illnesses in children with cancer and blood disorders include sepsis (severe widespread infection), respiratory insufficiency, and serious neurological complications such as seizures or encephalopathies. Improving the management of these illnesses is integral to developing new global standards and improving patient outcomes, including reducing rates of toxic death. Specifically designed for pediatric intensivists treating critically ill children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries, GA-POCC provides:
The Global Academy in Pediatric Onco-Critical Care is available to pediatric intensive care physicians and other providers who specialize in the care of critically ill children with cancer or other catastrophic diseases. English fluency is required to participate in the course.
The course is offered once per year, with applications open for a brief period each spring. To apply, candidates must submit an online application, an English-language CV and a letter of support from their direct supervisor. To learn more about how and when to apply, join the GCCP mailing list or email globalcriticalcare@stjude.org.
GA-POCC is an online course administered via the Cure4Kids educational platform (https://www.cure4kids.org). The course is mostly asynchronous, with one live, interactive hour-long session per week. GA-POCC coursework takes an average of 5-6 hours per week to complete. Its 16 learning modules include:
Participants who successfully complete coursework by a specified timeline may be eligible to apply to attend an in-person Global Critical Care Program Workshop and/or virtual GCCP Quality Improvement Workshop.
The annual GA-POCC course begins in the summer and runs for approximately 22 weeks. Registration opens in May, and the course launches in June/July (dates subject to change). To receive updates and information about the next GA-POCC course, including the specific timeline and application information, please join the Global Critical Care Program mailing list.
If you have questions about GA-POCC, please email globalcriticalcare@stjude.org.