Visual Case Analysis (VCA-E3)

(CDC TRAIN Course ID 1033185)

A 3-part E-Learning Course

Schedule:
There are currently no courses scheduled. Please check back periodically for updates. For information or questions, send an e-mail message to stdtraining@cdc.gov.

Registration: See instructions on how to apply through the CDC TRAIN system. All courses are free of charge to eligible participants who have been approved to attend by their managers.

The VCA E3 is a series of three e-learning courses presenting the fundamentals of Visual Case Analysis. The courses are facilitated in real time by CDC trainers using Microsoft Live Meeting©.

Participants will register for the course just as they would for any other CDC training. The number of participants will be limited and all participants are expected to attend all three 90 minute sessions. Each individual participant will need to have a computer with access to the internet, the ability to download and install the free Live Meeting© software and a phone (preferably a speakerphone or a phone with a headset). Upon approval, participants will be sent an email with information on how download and install the Live Meeting© software, the links and passwords for logging into the training sessions and pre-course materials that the participants will print and have available the day of the training.

Course Objectives:

VCA 101 – Participants will:

• Understand and apply the seven step of VCA plotting
• Recognize and utilize all of the components and markings used on the VCA sheet
• Plot 3 different syphilis cases on VCA sheets
• Develop questions for mock patients from information plotted on VCA sheets
• Plot one related case, conduct source/spread analysis and develop relevant questions for continued case management.
  

VCA 201 – Participants will:

• Understand and apply the basic rules of ghosting for VCA
• Apply the assumptions of ghosting for VCA
• Correctly utilize the ghosting hierarchy to complete VCA plotting of given cases
• Correctly ghost source and spread lesions from all four scenarios of the ghosting hierarchy
• Analyze all plotted information to determine the most reliable ghost to use for case management and source/spread determination
• Utilize ghosted and plotted information to develop questions for mock patients on VCA sheets

VCA 301 – Participants will:

• Apply the steps of plotting syphilis cases when the onset date of symptoms are not known
• Analyze the affects of plotting related cases to those cases with unknown symptom duration
• Understand and apply the steps to merge related cases in separate lots
• Integrate information gathered form multiple cases to make source/spread determinations

Upon completion of all three segments, participants will have plotted a total of nine mock syphilis cases and have access to several practice cases they may use with their supervisors.