Live Virtual PORi Courses through December 2020

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​In the ever changing landscape of COVID-19, we have been committed to continuing to provide education to our participants with the same enthusiasm and high standards that we have always upheld within our PORi delivery system. The PORi team has met many times over the past few months and weeks to work out how best we can do this.

We have made a decision to convert the remaining in-person 2020 PORi Courses to a live digital format with live Zoom presentations done by our instructors as well as patient video presentations, which showcase our instructors demonstrating patient interviews, patient evaluations, and patient treatments in the same intricate detail that we have always delivered to you. We will make every effort to make the courses as interactive as possible with intra-group discussions, frequent group Q & A sessions, and, in some cases, the opportunity for patients to join the Zoom session for live patient interviews.

All Courses will be offered at discounted ONLINE COURSE Pricing...
 
This was not an easy decision or a decision we took lightly but, after much consideration, discussion and with regard to the safety of our instructors, course participants and, most importantly, patient volunteers, the PORi team has decided to move to this format for the remainder of the year.  

PORi Courses and COVID-19

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During the pandemic, PORi will be shifting some courses (primarily the Foundation) onto a live webinar format and there will also be rescheduling options for in-person core courses.

We will be emailing each person who has registered for a course scheduled to be held in July, August & September 2020. If you do not have access to the email address we have on file or do not receive an email for any reason, please contact us and we will run through your options.

Courses scheduled for October and beyond will remain on the schedule at this time - we will email each participant with updates as and when they occur.

PORi In-Person Course COVID-19 Mitigation Procedures

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Purpose:
To provide safe practices for in-person PORi courses that respect participant, instructor, and patient volunteer safety by promoting social distancing, use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and safe interactions during COVID-19 pandemic.

Scope:
 In-person PORi courses guidelines for all students, instructors, and course patient volunteers.
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Guidelines:

1. Course Venue Adjustments
   1. Class Size
      1. At this time, courses will be limited to smaller class size, based on room configuration. For most courses, this will allow for 8 students. 
      2. This number will be continually monitored based on the course location, available room space, and local health department regulations.
   2. Social Distancing
      1. Room configuration will be established with a staggered seating arrangement to maximize distance between students. 
   3. Food and Beverages
      1. Attendees will be asked to utilize scheduled breaks for food and beverage consumption (besides sips of water) to maximize mask use in the classroom.
2. Participants
   1. The patient volunteers on our courses are oncology patients and are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, we want our course participants to mitigate the risk of exposing our patients to COVID-19 as much as possible.
   2. Temperature/Symptom Checks
      1. Attendees will be asked to maximize their social distancing for two weeks prior to the course (no bars, large social gatherings etc)
      2. Attendees will be asked to track personal temperatures for 7 days prior to the course. Any individual with a temperature of >99.9deg within 72 hours of the course or during the course, will not be allowed to participate.
         1. Participants will be sent a log to fill out their daily temperatures prior to the course start date.
      3. Attendees will have their temperature taken at the beginning of each day.  Anyone with a temperature >99.9deg will not be admitted for the day and can dial in to the day via Zoom or be provided with recorded session afterwards.
      4. Attendees will be questioned based on daily symptoms.
         1. No one will be allowed into the class if they have any of the following:
            1. Fever, cough, shortness of breath or change in taste or smell unrelated to medication.
            2. Have traveled outside of the continental United States in the last 30 days.
               1. If yes, must have quarantined for at least 14 days since the travel.
            3. Have had close contact with someone positive with COVID-19 outside of a hospital setting.
               1. If yes, must have quarantined for at least 14 days.
   3. COVID-19 Testing
      1. Attendees are not required to complete COVID-19 testing before the course but they may do so, if they want to.
         1. If they have tested positive in the past, they need to have a negative test at least 7 days prior to the course start date.
         2. If someone tests positive within 14 days following the course, they are expected to contact PORi IMMEDIATELY.
   4. Sanitation and Hand Hygiene
      1. Attendees will be asked to frequently utilize adequate hand hygiene practices throughout the course.
      2. During patient lab experiences, students are expected to utilize hand hygiene before and after patient contact.
      3. Hand sanitizer and/or soap and water hand washing stations will be supplied by the course host. 
      4. Gloves will be supplied by course host and must be utilized with all patient contact and treatment.
   5. Disinfection of Common Areas
      1. Attendees will be asked to disinfect their learning space at the beginning, at lunch and at the end of each day.
      2. Instructors will disinfect common areas including patient presentation materials at the beginning, at lunch, before and after patient interaction and end of each day.
      3. Disinfection products will be supplied by course host and available on site.
   6. Personal Protective Equipment
      1. All instructors and students are required to wear surgical masks throughout the duration of the course. Cloth masks will not be allowed for this setting.
      2. Course patient volunteers are required to wear surgical masks throughout the duration of the course subject to the following exceptions:
         1. Head & Neck: For this population all instructors and students are required to wear a surgical mask and face shield. Students are asked to bring their face shield if they have one, but course hosts will supply face shields, as needed. 
         2. Chemotoxicity: For this population all instructors and students are required to wear a surgical mask and face shield. Students are asked to bring their face shield if they have one, but course hosts will supply face shields as needed.