Enhance Your Diagnostic & Treatment Skills with the Functional Medicine Diagnostics Course
Designed for dedicated medical professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of advanced functional medicine diagnostic testing.
23 Lectures • Downloadable Notes • 13 Continuing Education Credits
Enroll Today to Begin Your Learning Journey.
A functional approach to care has been demonstrated to reduce mortality and the cost of healthcare while improving treatment outcomes, patient satisfaction, and quality of life (Beidelschies et al., 2019; Bland, 2022; Gannotta et al., 2018). This approach uses a systems-based approach to markers that precede disease states using advanced laboratory and diagnostic tools (Pizzorno, 2012). These diagnostics will help you explore the interrelationship among systems to support the development of a comprehensive plan considering the whole person (Bland et al., 2017; Pizzorno, 2012). In one study of practicing clinicians, it was revealed that 90% of respondents felt their knowledge of this approach and associated diagnostic testing needed expansion and served as the primary barrier to implementing treatment (Ziodeen & Misra, 2018). Online training is effective for teaching a functional and integrative approach but these training opportunities are often limited in their inclusion of laboratory and diagnostic tests (Lebensohn et al., 2017). This course offers an organized approach to learning functional medicine diagnostic testing to address this professional practice gap.
Course Overview.
The Functional Medicine Diagnostics Course offers a comprehensive exploration of advanced laboratory and diagnostic testing used to identify the root causes of illness and intervene early using a systems-level analysis. This program is designed for those who may not want to move forward with the Integrative Psychiatry Program but are interested in being armed with these advanced diagnostic tools. These tools are transdisciplinary and will enhance the personalization and effectiveness of treatment regardless of specialty. This program is ideal for students and practicing Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Registered Nurses.
Lectures are concise and focus on a specific laboratory test and associated physiology, pathophysiology, and treatment implications.
Course Curriculum.
In the First Module, you’ll explore an advanced interpretation of several common laboratory tests including:
The complete metabolic panel
The complete blood count
Inflammation and immunity
The thyroid panel
Vitamin D, iron, and magnesium
Metabolic labs (lipid and carbohydrate metabolism)
In the Second Module, you’ll explore several specialized diagnostics including:
Advanced genetic testing
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis
Comprehensive gastrointestinal testing
The organic acid testing
Each topic includes organized & concise lectures, downloadable notes, practical summaries for clinical practice, and proposed exercises to build upon the application of the material in the practice setting. I’ll even include how YOU can implement this testing on yourself to nurture resilience from a systems perspective.
Review material at your own pace with direct access to supportive guidance by course faculty and access to content for one year, including any added material.
Meet the Instructor.
Dr. Nicholas Hatcher is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and dually board-certified acute care (AGACNP) and psychiatric mental health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). He completed his acute care and doctoral education and training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He then completed a post-doctoral degree in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fascinated by the relationship between the body and the mind and the discrepancies he recognized in the healthcare system, Dr. Hatcher continued his academic journey to include a specialized focus on Integrative Psychiatry. He has completed a Fellowship in Integrative Psychiatry and pursued several continuing education opportunities in functional medicine to refine the execution of an integrative model.
After appreciating the tremendous benefits of this model in his practice and recognizing the high cost and disorganization of currently available educational material, Dr. Hatcher became motivated to teach others how to integrate these advanced diagnostic skills into their own practices. Through his extensive experience as an educator, as a dually board-certified provider, and as a caring and compassionate individual, Dr. Hatcher aims to refine the delivery of integrative practice to improve upon the personalization of care.
"How can you hope to help a broken individual if you operate based on a broken model and system".
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Have more questions about the program? Check out our FAQ section to find detailed information about program access, processes, and much more.
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Yes! This course is designed to be integrative with an emphasis on the unity of traditional and alternative, or conventional and functional medicine perspectives.
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Yes! This program has been approved to award 13 contact hours. This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the American Holistic Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
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Yes! Having the ability to interact and ask questions about this content is important to this learning experience. You will be provided with the instructor’s email address in the program for any questions.
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The program material is delivered through Teachable and will include concise lectures, downloadable lecture notes, practical summaries, and proposed exercises for engaging with content.
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You will be granted immediate access to course material for 1 year including any added content or revisions made to the material (ongoing research and associated revisions and new content are added to provide the highest quality of evidence-based material and value to students). The course is self-paced, so you can take your time exploring the material.
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Yes! Course material is designed to meet you where you are, building a foundation for your understanding. You will also have access to the program instructor for any questions or assistance.
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While the course is designed for the student or practicing Nurse Practitioner, Physician, or Physician Assistant, the program welcomes registered nurses and anyone else interested in Functional Medicine. A foundational understanding of biological and health sciences is recommended.
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Yes! While there is content providing an adequate theoretical basis to build your understanding of the material, the primary focus is clinical application and translation into practice.
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Yes! Course material will be available for 1 year following purchase and will include any added and revised content throughout the year.
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This course is designed to elevate providers to the leading edge of evidence-based and personalized practice. All course material is thoroughly reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis in light of advancements in the field. During your time in the program, you will receive access to all new, updated, and revised material.
Pricing and Enrollment.
The Functional Medicine Diagnostics Course is competitively priced to ensure that it’s accessible to all who are interested. Click the link below to begin your journey toward professional advancement.
$155 one-time fee
Contact Us & Follow Our Journey.
Still have questions? We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to us.
Our team is always ready to help you navigate your educational journey.
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Beidelschies, M., Alejandro-Rodriguez, M., Ji, X., Lapin, B., Hanaway, P., & Rothberg, M. B. (2019). Association of the Functional Medicine Model of Care With Patient-Reported Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes. JAMA Network Open, 2(10), e1914017. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14017
Bland, J. S. (2022). Functional Medicine Past, Present, and Future. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, 21(2), 22-26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9173848/
Bland, J. S., Minich, D. M., & Eck, B. M. (2017). A Systems Medicine Approach: Translating Emerging Science into Individualized Wellness. Advances in Medicine, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1718957
Gannotta, R., Malik, S., Chan, A. Y., Urgun, K., Hsu, F., & Vadera, S. (2018). Integrative medicine as a vital component of patient care. Cureus, 10(8), e3098.
Lebensohn, P., Kligler, B., Brooks, A. J., Teets, R., Birch, M., Cook, P., & Maizes, V. (2017). Integrative medicine in residency: feasibility and effectiveness of an online program. Family Medicine, 49, 514-521.
Pizzorno, J. E. (2012). Clinical decision making - a functional medicine perspective. Global Advanced in Health and Medicine, 1(4), 8-13.
Ziodeen, K. A. & Misra, S. M. (2018). Complementary and integrative medicine attitudes and perceived knowledge in a large pediatric residency program. Complementary & Therapeutic Medicine, 37, 133-135.