N12: End of Life Palliative Services

Course Overview

Continuing education online courses in End of Life Palliative Services.

CE Hours

3 CE Credits

Course Description

End of Life Palliative Services examines the physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of personal care during the end-of-life period. This course defines palliative care and distinguishes it from hospice care, describes the types and components of palliative care services, explores palliative care in cancer across the full course of illness, addresses the physical, emotional, practical, and spiritual issues managed by palliative care teams, and examines the evidence base for palliative care. Learners will gain the practical knowledge needed to understand and employ palliative care principles in written cases and professional settings.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  1. Define palliative care and distinguish it from supportive care and hospice care
  2. List and describe the components of end-of-life care including physical, emotional, practical, and spiritual support
  3. Identify the types of palliative care services including inpatient, community-based, special needs, bereavement, and educational services
  4. Explain when palliative care is used in cancer care and how it is integrated across the course of illness
  5. Describe the roles of the multidisciplinary palliative care team including doctors, nurses, social workers, dieticians, and chaplains
  6. Explain how palliative care addresses the needs of family members in addition to patients
  7. Describe the transition from curative treatment to end-of-life care and the role of palliative care in that process
  8. Apply palliative care principles to written case scenarios

Course Format and Faculty

Course Format:

Online linked resources and lectures that you can use anytime 24/7. One multi-choice test.

Course Developers and Instructors:

R. Klimes, PhD, MPH (Johns Hopkins University) is a scholar and author in health-related research, health behaviors, ethics, end-of-life care, and overall wellness. He has written numerous research reports and books and has held academic and leadership roles in higher education and public health internationally.

Course Time:

About thirty hours for online study, test taking with course evaluation feedback and certificate printing.