Preventing Escalation: Engaging Individuals with Challenging/Interesting Behaviors

Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Heart & Vascular Conf Rm (4999 JPP), Iowa City, IA

Attendees will be provided with helpful techniques and tips aimed at preventing emotional and behavioral escalation of people in a workplace or educational setting. Attendees will also be given helpful strategies when responding to escalated individuals.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (2.00 hours), ANCC Contact Hours (2.00 hours), ASWB General CE Credit (2.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (2.00 hours)

1. Recognize early behavioral, emotional, and environmental indicators that may contribute to escalating interactions in healthcare settings.
2. Apply evidence-informed communication strategies—including reflective listening, validation, emotion labeling, and respectful boundary setting — to reduce emotional escalation.
3. Demonstrate structured verbal de-escalation techniques that promote patient dignity, therapeutic rapport, and staff safety during challenging interactions.
4. Determine when additional resources —including colleagues, Workplace Safety, the Behavioral Emergency Support Team (BEST), Safety & Security, or emergency response —should be engaged to safely manage escalating situations.

Register for the course on CQ: https://compliance.hr.uiowa.edu/my_training/course_enroll_details/003972

In support of improving patient care, the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 Physician: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Nurse: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this activity for a maximum of 2.00 ANCC contact hours.

Social Worker: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 2.00 general continuing education credit(s).

Other Health Care Provider: A certificate of participation will be available after successful completion of an online evaluation. It is the responsibility of the licensees to determine if this continuing education activity meets the requirements of their professional licensure board.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026