Gift Supports Palliative Care Education
Jan. 10, 2017 (SAN DIEGO) – https://csupalliativecare.org/. In this second year of awarding scholarships to healthcare professionals to improve their service to chronically and seriously ill persons, over 60 health care professionals from Southern California submitted applications to be funded for CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care professional development courses. The total dollar amount of support which twelve professionals were awarded to attend Institute courses during 2017 reached slightly over the $25,000 gift provided by Darlene Marcos Shiley through the Shiley Foundation, which funds the scholarships.
Through Darlene Shiley’s generosity, professionals who are dedicating themselves to palliative care will be better able to improve their care for chronically and seriously ill persons, and their families with life-improving palliative care.Helen McNeal, Executive Director CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care
Scholarship availability was announced in late October, with applications accepted throughout National Hospice and Palliative Care month in November. Chaplains, social workers, nurses, advance practice nurses and other professionals from hospital, hospice, long-term care and home care organizations submitted applications that described not only their current experience and training, but also revealed their professional goals for improving their delivery of palliative care. Applicants’ supervisors were asked to provide a letter of support for their employee as well.
CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care Executive Director Helen B. McNeal commented: “Through Darlene Shiley’s generosity, professionals who are dedicating themselves to palliative care will be better able to improve their care for chronically and seriously ill persons, and their families with life-improving palliative care. We thank the many health professionals who submitted applications to be funded for CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care courses, and congratulate the twelve who received the awards.”
Scholarship Recipients are Enhancing Their Palliative Care Careers
Recipients are enrolling in 2017 Institute courses, including the 8-week, 64 CE hour RN Certificate in Palliative Care, the 9-month, 175 CE hour Advance Practice RN Certificate in Palliative Care, the Post-MSW Palliative Care Certificate which awards 144 CE hours for completing the 8 month course, and the fully online, self-paced Applying Motivational Interviewing Techniques and Interventions in Palliative Care course.
This training will also provide the opportunity to learn interventions that can make for a more meaningful patient experience and reduce the emotional burden a disease like cancer can impose on a patient and their family.
Palliative care provides those with a serious or chronic illness – from the time of diagnosis throughout the course of treatment – care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and managing suffering. It is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists and other practitioners to address the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and their families.
As reinforced by one of the applicants, “This training will also provide the opportunity to learn interventions that can make for a more meaningful patient experience and reduce the emotional burden a disease like cancer can impose on a patient and their family.”
About the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care
The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care is dedicated to increasing access to and awareness of palliative care by educating current and future professionals as well as community members about palliative care. Housed within one of the largest university systems in the United States, the Institute works to ensure a workforce, today and tomorrow, with the palliative care skills needed to meet the growing needs of chronically or seriously ill people in all care settings. More information about all the courses offered by the Institute can be found on the Institute web site, csupalliativecare.org/education.
