About the Course

The Elite Nurse Practitioner and Functional Medicine Schools Director Keri Douglas, FNP have collaborated to create The Functional Medicine Advanced Gut Health Course! This hyper focused curriculum integrates functional principles with gastrointestinal science, providing insights and treatment recommendations for a variety of pervasive health conditions. This is an exciting addition to our functional medicine course line, and builds off the information provided in our Foundational Functional Medicine Course. If you want to gain a holistic perspective on intestinal health and learn how to tackle pathologies that are resistant to mainstream treatment methods, this course is for you.  

Functional medicine is defined as a patient-centered and systems biology-based approach to chronic disease management. Rather than prioritizing symptom alleviation or masking, functional medicine gets to the root cause of disease and prioritizes longitudinal outcomes. Functional practitioners encourage patients to make lifestyle changes and focus on wellness education to prevent chronic disease.   

In functional medicine, gut health refers to the balance and proper function of the gastrointestinal system. This includes the integrity of the gut lining, the diversity and abundance of beneficial gut microbes, and the effectiveness of digestion, absorption, and elimination processes. The goal is to optimize gut health as it plays a crucial role in overall health and wellness, influencing immune function, hormonal balance, and even brain strength. The gut is considered the foundation of a healthy mind and body by many functional medicine practitioners, and this course will provide foundational education to evaluate and treat the most common gastrointestinal issues affecting your patients’ health and well-being! 

This course is designed for the nurse practitioner who wants to learn more about functional medicine, whether they are new to this philosophy or already have a solid understanding of core functional principles. By evaluating the patient’s gastrointestinal well-being, the astute nurse practitioner can then identify the root cause of a variety of bothersome symptoms and diseases the patient may experience, then treat that underlying issue to bring the patient back to optimal health. 

The functional medicine space in the United States is rapidly growing and is valued at well over $90 billion. This will be the future of integrative and holistic medicine. More and more patients are looking to be treated on an individual basis, rather than through cookie cutter methods and pill pushing. 

This course uses a straight-to-the-point strategy to give participants an overview of functional gastrointestinal healthcare. While we welcome students of all levels, Elite Nurse Practitioner does recommend developing rudimentary knowledge of functional medicine before taking this course. Course instructors delve into advanced topics, and we want to set NPs up for success and help them learn quickly and effectively. After taking this course, you will be able to hit the ground running and integrate these principles into practice!  

You will learn the following: 

• Why gut health is considered the foundation of a healthy mind and body 
• Why evaluating your patients’ gut health is critically important  
• How a variety of gastrointestinal disorders can affect every system in the body 
• The basic physiology of the gastrointestinal trac 
• Implications of healthy intake, digestion, and absorption 
• How pancreatic enzymes affect gut health 
• The role a healthy gallbladder in overall health and well-being 
• Causes of malabsorption  
• Interconnections of the gut, brain, thyroid, and hormones  
• Scientific principles of the gut microbiome 
• Evaluation and treatment of dysbiosis  
• Implications of intestinal bacterial overgrowth 
• Dangers of yeast and fungal overgrowth  
• Treatment and diagnosis of parasitic infection 
• Warning signs and symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases 
• Functional approaches to gastritis treatment  
• Intestinal permeability (leaky gut) clinical applications  
• The testing and treatment of H. pylori from a functional medicine perspective 
• Celiac disease pathology 
• Gastrointestinal laboratory evaluation 
• Treatment options for various gastrointestinal issues 
• Treatment documentation 
• Tips for obtaining specialty supplements, medications, and testing supplies 

This course will reward 5 total CEU hours and 1 pharmacology hour so you can stay current with your certifications and licenses. Registration will give you the perfect opportunity to broaden your horizons, open more avenues to generate profit, and fulfill mandatory educational requirements.   

A 169-slide presentation is reviewed through three hours of video content, led by Keri Douglas and Elite Nurse Practitioner founder Justin Allan. There will also be audio recordings for you to stream so you can learn on the go.

This course will also include a functional gut health assessment and treatment algorithm that you can keep handy as you see your patients!

If you are truly interested in building your functional medicine skills as a nurse practitioner, then this course will be an important addition to your clinical expertise. This course is designed to rewire how you approach patient care, and help you develop a sophisticated understanding of gut health. Expanding your functional/integrative medicine toolkit is a never-ending process, and the Elite Nurse Practitioner functional medicine course catalog is the perfect place to start. You can be a trusted holistic health resource for your patients, helping them live healthier and happier lives! 

This course is priced at $499, offering affordability and in-depth clinical information. Snatch up this course if you are serious about expanding your functional medicine knowledge, and don’t forget to check out our Foundational Functional Medicine course if are just starting out in functional medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I have unlimited access to this course? 

You can access this course however many times you want for however long you want. All Elite Nurse Practitioner Courses are pre-recorded and accessible indefinitely.

Does this course cover the main concepts of gut health from a functional medicine standpoint? 

Yes! Keri Douglas, FNP, has been a functional medicine practitioner for years and provides her unique and straight to the point insights. Countless hours of education are condensed into an easily digestible educational curriculum that can be applied to all clinical settings.

Will this course really teach me how to begin evaluating and treating patients with gut health problems? 

Yes. We cover more advanced concepts of functional medicine gut health evaluation, assessment, and treatment. After taking this course, you should be able to begin approaching patient care differently once you understand how the gut is pivotal to overall health.

Do I need functional medicine experience to take this course? 

Yes and no. While we highly recommend a base understanding of functional medicine before taking this course (as discussed in our foundational functional medicine course), this course will stil lbenefit any nurse practitioner looking to expand their knowledge base.

What kind of nurse practitioner can implement these concepts into their practice? 

This is within the scope of any nurse practitioner. It is an approach to care, thus is applicable to anyone evaluating and treating patients.

Do I need a special certification to do this? 

No! This falls within the scope of your nurse practitioner license.

Will this course cover the business aspects of functional medicine? 

We cover practice integration concepts (such as vendors, labs, etc.) , but this course will not go over practice startup considerations. Our foundational functional medicine course will cover that!

I already own a practice.Would this course benefit me? 

Absolutely! You can integrate these services into your practice with ease!

Will this offer CME? 

This course offers 5 CE hours. The Elite Nurse Practitioner is credentialed as a  CEU provider through the ANCC. CEU awarded through The Elite Nurse Practitioner applies to ANCC, AANP, and all boards of nursing.

Will this course provide a certificate of completion? 

Yes! A certificate is issued at the end of the course that will display the CEU hours and verify your completion of this course. You can also use this to submit for reimbursement and it is a tax write off!

See what others have to say...

Kaye: I joined Elite NP FB group and after one day of being in the group, I signed up for 3 courses. I now have a clear and concise blueprint for additional modalities for my practice. Thank you Justin!!

Takeshanicole Z: Trustworthy, reliable and affordable education and guidance is provided. Timely responses with continued support and encouragement to become successful.

Angie B: I love Elite NP info and courses, but in addition, it has been really easy to communicate with Justin for any questions, concerns, etc. Since learning about Elite NP and engaging in the Facebook group, I have connected with so many other NPs with similar goals and the support has been incredible.