Overview

This course will help you gain a good understanding of renal physiology and electrolyte and acid-base disorders. It's a three-day course but you can choose to attend for one, two or three days.

It covers the pathophysiology and clinical management of electrolyte and acid-base disorders, hypertension, and fluid management.

The course consists of a mixture of basic and applied clinical science. It should provide a useful overview of renal physiology and hopefully convince you that a basic understanding of renal physiology is both enjoyable and valuable in your clinical practice.

Who this course is for

This course is for:

• trainees in nephrology, general (internal) medicine and intensive care medicine
• consultant nephrologists
• general physicians

Course content

The topics covered on each day are as follows:

Day one 

• Overview of the nephron
• Glomerular function
• Proximal tubular function
• Water handling in the nephron
• Distal tubular function
• Renal tubular acidosis

Day two

• Acid-base physiology
• Metabolic acidosis and alkalosis
• Acid-base case workshops
• Hyponatraemia
• Hypernatraemia
• Sodium case workshops

Day three

• Hypokalaemia
• Hyperkalaemia
• Hypophosphataemia
• Magnesium disorders
• Calcium homeostasis and the kidney
• PO4, Mg,K,Ca case workshops
• IV Fluid therapy
• Diuretics

Teaching and structure

You can attend one, two or three days.

Each day will involve face-to-face lectures and case discussions from international physiology and nephrology experts.

This is an interactive course and we encourage you to ask questions, bring your own clinical queries or cases and chat informally with our speakers during breaks.

Certificates and accreditation

You'll receive a certificate of attendance.

CPD credit to be confirmed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). We anticipate the course will be awarded 18 category 1 (external) CPD.

Learning outcomes

The course will help you:

• understand the principles of acid-base and renal electrolyte physiology
• evaluate and treat common and traditionally difficult clinical problems such as hyponatraemia and metabolic acidosis
• practice clinical physiology cases with world-expert clinicians in dedicated workshops
• gain expertise with fluid and diuretic therapies
• critically reflect on ways to improve current practice and the patient pathway

Costs and concessions

An early bird discount is available for bookings made before 31 January 2023.

The fees per day are:

• SpR/trainee grade - £215 (£175 early bird price)
• Consultants - £210 (£190 early bird price)
• RFH/UCLH/UCL staff - £130 (£105 early bird price)

The fees for two days are:

• SpR/trainee grade - £325 (£285 early bird price)
• Consultants - £340 (£300 early bird price)
• RFH/UCLH/UCL staff - £235 (£190 early bird price)

The fees for three days are:

• SpR/trainee grade - £435 (£410 early bird price)
• Consultants - £460 (£430 early bird price)
• RFH/UCLH/UCL staff - £360 (£345 early bird price)

Course team

Dr Stephen (Ben) Walsh

Ben is a clinician scientist with an interest in both rare renal tubular disorders and disorders of blood pressure. He leads a specialist national clinic for patients with inherited and acquired renal tubular disease.

His research involves the physiology of renal epithelial sodium and other solute transport, and how that relates to blood pressure homeostasis, in rare genetic (Gitelman and Gordon syndromes, distal Renal Tubular Acidosis) as well as common (hypertension, metabolic syndrome) diseases. His laboratory group uses physiological and imaging methods with cell and animal models as well as human subjects.

Course information last modified: 30 Nov 2022, 16:01