Referrals

Yes, we have this listed on each course information page. Explore the courses below. Once on the page, scroll down past the summary and look for “causes for referral”

• Professional Boundaries
• Civility and Communication (disruptive behavior)
• Medical Ethics
• Pharmacy Ethics
• Medical Record Keeping
• Prescribing: Opioids, Pain Mgmt., and Addiction

PBI has a unique approach we like to call The PBI Method (click to watch video). In short, our courses deliver their content through a process-oriented curriculum, rather than being driven by content alone, as some others are. This method provides a structure for participants to answer the critical questions necessary to impart lasting, impactful change: How did I end up in this situation? And how can I never end up here again?

Yes, you can review our publications page for more information about our book, research articles, interviews, poster presentations, and our involvement on a workgroup committee.

Our faculty are carefully selected based on their clinical, academic, and professional expertise in the field. They go through a rigorous pre-approval process through the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and then receive extensive in-depth training with PBI. Click here to learn more about our consortium of dedicated experts.

While there is some overlap, these courses have fundamental differences in the issues they aim to remediate:

1. Professional Boundaries courses remediate issues that are relationship-based. Either sexual or non-sexual, these issues occur when professional lines are crossed.
2. Communication and Civility courses remediate disruptive behaviors and communication problems in the workplace, either with staff, administration, or patients.
3. Ethics and Professionalism courses remediate issues rooted in lack of adherence to laws, rules, guidelines, codes, or policies.

Some courses have more than one edition. Editions range in their level of comprehensiveness, following this pattern:

1. Essential: This is the simplest version of the course and includes the standard pre-course assignments that are required for all participants
2. Enhanced: (only available for the Professional Boundaries course) Includes all components of the Essential + additional pre-course assignments and readings
3. Extended: (most comprehensive) Includes all components of the Essential + the follow-up course, the Maintenance and Accountability Seminars (MAS)

We have the following “add-ons” available for any PBI course:

1. Maintenance and Accountability Seminars (MAS): This course keeps course learnings fresh in participants’ minds, holds them accountable to the changes they pledged to make during their initial course, and allows them to apply those changes in real time in their practice. When making the referral, this can be added by requiring the participant to enroll in the “Extended Edition”.
2. One-on-one coaching: Facilitated by an experienced faculty member in any course topic area offered. Customized plans are available.

Our standards for course participation remain the same whether a course is offered in-person or virtually. Click here to learn more about how the PBI Virtual Live Classroom™ works.

Once the appropriate course, course edition, and any additional add-ons are determined, the referring entity should produce referral documentation, then provide it to the course participant. The participant should be directed to register for their course and then to provide the referral documentation to PBI upon registration.

Generally, letters of reprimand, consent agreements, or performance improvement plans are adequate referral documents. Including all of the following elements in the document make for the most effective referrals:

1. Full name and license number of the participant
2. A detailed synopsis of the specific incident(s) leading to the referral and the articulated issues of concern
3. Name of the selected PBI course, edition, and additional requirements with PBI (such as coaching or extended follow-up)
4. Timeline within which to complete the course. Note that requiring the extended edition adds an additional 12 weeks to any course.
5. Whether an AIR Letter should be provided to the referring entity upon final completion.
6. If permissible, include information regarding additional requirements or expectations of the participant, besides the PBI course (e.g., ongoing use of a chaperone, therapy, anger management, AA, etc.)

Documentation should be provided to the course participant for them to submit to PBI. You may also provide the documentation directly to PBI once the participant has registered for their course. Participants are emailed a receipt from PBI for their course immediately upon registration, which they can then provide to their referring entity as proof of their registration.

Our courses are graded on a pass/fail basis. Certificates are sent upon course completion via email to participants that successfully passed. They can then provide that certificate to the referring entity which PBI can verify. If you receive a certificate, it indicates the participant successfully achieved the course objectives and met the expectations for engagement and participation. If you would like even more insight, an Accomplishments, Impressions, and Recommendations (AIR) Letter should be requested in the referral documentation. Information about the AIR Letters can be found below or by clicking here.

If a participant fails the course however, we will notify the referring entity and provide an explanation as to why they did not pass.

AIR Letters serve as a supplement to the Certificate of Completion. They are designed to expand the referrer’s understanding of the attendee’s accomplishments of course objectives through their course work, offer individualized faculty impressions of the attendee’s participation and interactions during the course, as well as include faculty recommendations, if any, for continuing education, assessments, therapy, or any other resources that they may see as providing opportunities for growth and enhanced remediation. Click here to learn more

Once the referral is made, the documentation is received, and the participant is registered for their course, nothing else is required by the referring entity. Upon the participant’s successful completion, the participant will be provided a final certificate of completion via email, which they can then provide to their referring entity. If the referring entity has requested an AIR Letter (see above), it will be produced and sent via email directly to the referring entity following the completion of the course. In most cases AIR Letters are ready two weeks after course completion.

In the case that a participant does not pass a course for any reason, PBI will notify the referring entity right away and explain the cause for failure.