Enhance Your Professional Skills
Choose Your Discipline…
Palliative care education is more important now then ever before. The California State University Institute for Palliative Care’s professional development programs are designed to ensure health care professionals have the skills to provide great patient care. Incorporating the latest in evidence-based palliative care practices, these online courses are practical and highly interactive. All programs provide Continuing Education Hours and some offer BRN, BBS, and CME hours.
If you are looking to enhance your individual palliative or hospice skills or prepare for certification, you’ll be able to select from asynchronous faculty-led courses or self-paced courses. If you are an organization setting up a palliative care education program or hiring new hospice or palliative care staff, these are the courses you need to grow or enhance your palliative care program.
All Professionals |
Instructor-Led Courses
Care of Latinos with Serious Illnesses
DATE: Register AnytimeLOCATION: Online
To develop this unique program, the Institute collaborated with Familias en Acción, an agency that delivers cultural competence training for health professionals and health education for the Latino/Hispanic community. This self-paced course helps health care professionals understand how cultural traditions are often a factor in dailyin teractions with Latino patients. Being mindful of beliefs, cultures, and traditions ultimately leads to improved relationships, compliance, and outcomes. This course brings an awareness of our differences while teaching practical skills helpful in hospice and palliative care settings.
Click HERE to learn more about Care of Latinos with Serious Illnesses
Self-Paced Courses
Effective Advance Care Planning: Skill Building for Everyone
Patients want to have Advance Care Planning conversations with their provider and providers need to be reimbursed for the time these conversations require. The challenge is that most clinicians have not been trained on how to talk about Advance Care Planning with patients and billing departments do not know how to use new billing codes. This series of self-paced courses effectively addresses these challenges.
This new online curriculum provides detailed information about the critical components of Advance Care Planning and billing in an accessible, cost-effective format. Courses include:
- Effective Advance Care Planning Fundamentals
- Facilitating an Advance Care Planning Conversation
- Building Engagement with Advance Care Planning
- Billing for Advance Care Planning Conversations
Applying Motivational Interviewing Techniques and Interventions in Palliative Care
DATE: UpcomingLOCATION: Online
When trained clinicians use motivational interviewing techniques in palliative care, patients often discover new ways to verbalize the actions they must take to achieve their goals. Motivational interviewing is a technique that clinicians can use to help patients identify and overcome reluctance to discuss their goals of care. Social workers, therapists, and counselors treating patients in all care settings will find the skills learned in this course helpful in increasing patient and family caregiver involvement in establishing their own palliative care goals.
Aromatherapy in Palliative Care
DATE: Register Any TimeLOCATION: Online
Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils to promote well-being and ease discomfort, has been used for centuries and has a growing base of research and support in modern health care. More and more health care providers, and their patients, are recognizing the value of aromatherapy, as well as other complementary therapies as an adjunct to allopathic medicine to treat serious medical conditions. Aromatherapy and the array of benefits it provides to patients, especially those in palliative care, is being recognized and is rapidly growing in use. This self-paced, highly engaging course will help you launch your journey into the world of Aromatherapy for palliative care patients and their families.
Click HERE to learn more about Aromatherapy in Palliative Care
The Business Case for Palliative Care
DATE: Register Any TimeLOCATION: Online
You need a business plan for palliative care just like any other business would have. Although this is not a course about creating a palliative care business plan, it IS a course about what it takes to build a successful business system around your palliative care program. This self-paced course is designed to orient clinical and administrative leaders to the concepts that support a successful palliative care strategy. It introduces the analyses needed to assess the impact of existing programs while identifying growth opportunities for hospital, clinic, and home-based palliative care services. Participants will learn how their palliative care program adds value to their organization’s mission. This course was developed by nationally recognized experts in the field of palliative care, including: Kathleen Kerr, BA, Dr. Brian Cassel, Dr. Michael Rabow, and Dr. Shelley R. Adler.
Click HERE to learn more about The Business Case for Palliative Care
Journey of Self-Awareness – A Palliative Care Program for Healthcare Professionals
DATE: Details coming.LOCATION: Online
Based on her book, Last Acts of Kindness; Lessons for the Living From the Bedsides of the Dying, this course is delivered by author Judith Redwing Keyssar. This self-paced course provides a gentle self-reflection process to help palliative care or hospice professionals understand his or her own beliefs, values, and self-care patterns around this complicated journey. Taking this course is a wonderful gift of self-care that you can give yourself! *Since this is a self-paced course, you can register at any time. You will receive your login within 3 business days.
Excellence in Interprofessional Palliative Care Documentation
DATE: Register Any TimeLOCATION: Online
In palliative care, documentation is at the heart of our communications. This self-paced course provides quick, discipline-specific as well as team-focused strategies for ensuring that your documentation facilitates communication and supports great relationships within the team and with your referral sources. If you are staying late working on documentation or frustrated by the documentation habits of your colleagues, this course is for you!
Click HERE to learn more about Excellence in Interprofessional Palliative Care Documentation
Planning Your Implementation
DATE: Open Registration
LOCATION: Online
Whether you are launching a new program or fine-tuning an existing one, the Institute offers a variety of online and live courses to help you organize, plan, and implement sustainable palliative care programs. Learn how to identify the right partners for a community-based palliative care launch. Discover critical metrics and financial considerations before you launch. Develop your own roadmap to success with a solid foundation of knowledge from experts who have been there.
Click HERE to learn more about Planning Your Implementation
Palliative Care for Care Managers
DATE: Open RegistrationLOCATION: Online
The CSU Institute for Palliative Care developed this course in collaboration with the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California. Health plans are faced with the challenge of knowing how to balance rising costs with increasing demand for quality service. Case managers are tested daily on how to identify what matters most to their members facing critical health issues. The Palliative Care for Care Managers course teaches care managers to become more compassionate and effective in guiding their members through difficult times. Ultimately this course supports the health plan in creating the most value for its members.
Click HERE to learn more about Palliative Care for Care Managers
Working With POLST
DATE: Register Any TimeLOCATION: Online
POLST stands for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. It is a physician order that gives patients more control over their care by specifying the types of medical treatment they want to receive during advanced serious illness. This self-paced course helps the health care professional understand the role and value of this document, and how to employ it in documenting and honoring patient wishes. This course provides specific details about POLST in California.
Click HERE to learn more about Working With POLST
Chaplaincy |
Palliative Care Chaplaincy Education and Training
DATE: TBALOCATION: Online
Do you ever wonder if the support you provide to those served by your organization is effective? Does each patient’s plan of care reflect his or her goals? Does it support his or her values and beliefs? This is the time to deepen for chaplains to increase their understanding of palliative care and improved much needed communication skills. The Institute offers a variety of online and instructor-led courses for chaplains and board certified chaplains working in a variety of health care settings.
Click HERE to learn more about Palliative Care Chaplaincy Education and Training
Nursing |
Faculty-Led Courses
Advanced Practice RN Certificate in Palliative Care
DATE: October 5, 2016LOCATION: Online
Are you an advanced practice RN, currently working or intending to work in hospice and palliative care? If you are looking for a way to expand your palliative skills, this 9-month course makes it easier than ever. Fully online, this comprehensive certificate program is designed specifically for busy advanced practice nurses looking for expert skills without a classroom schedule. Participants will gain in-depth knowledge of a broad range of current topics in this growing field – all in working partnership with experienced palliative care nursing experts.
Click HERE to learn more about Advanced Practice RN Certificate in Palliative Care
RN Certificate in Palliative Care
DATE: October 5, 2016LOCATION: Online
This dynamic 8-week course is aimed at enhancing RN competencies and knowledge of palliative care. The curriculum provides essential knowledge for professionals who deliver hospice or palliative nursing care regardless of the setting (hospice, inpatient/outpatient palliative care, oncology, long-term care, etc.) The course work is fully online and allows busy registered nurses flexibility in balancing work responsibilities while furthering their professional development. SEE VIDEO description.
Click HERE to learn more about RN Certificate in Palliative Care
Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) Exam Preparation
DATE: TBALOCATION: TBA
The CHPN prep course we offer is given by experts in affiliation with the Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association San Diego Chapter. It’s presented live in a comfortable setting in San Diego. You’ll be able to ask questions and converse with people that know this material well. If you are thinking about getting your certification (or need to renew it), this CHPN preparation course provides much of the information you need to help you pass your exam.
Click HERE to learn more about Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) Exam Preparation
Self-Paced Courses
What Every Nurse Needs to Know About Palliative Care
DATE: Register Any TimeLOCATION: Online
Does everyone in your organization understand the fundamentals of palliative care? Do they know how to properly refer a patient? The “What Every… Needs to Know About Palliative Care” series is available on demand for doctors, nurses, chaplains, social workers, and every health professional in your organization. These self-paced courses enable organizations to ensure everyone understands the fundamentals of palliative care, including how it differs from hospice.
Learn More About What Every Nurse Needs to Know About Palliative Care
Social Work |
Faculty-Led Courses
Critical Palliative Care Skills for Social Workers
DATE: September 28, 2016LOCATION: Online
Critical Palliative Care Skills teaches the essential skills that every social worker needs to know. If your career involves even occasional involvement with palliative care, then you’ll find this engaging and interactive course an ideal way to build your confidence and keep your knowledge and skills up to date.
Click HERE to learn more about Critical Palliative Care Skills for Social Workers
Post-MSW Palliative Care Certificate
DATE: February 8, 2017LOCATION: Online
Compared by participants to getting advanced clinical supervision from national experts, this certificate program is designed to enhance the skills of MSWs with experience in palliative care. The Post-MSW Palliative Care Certificate Program is designed to provide master’s-prepared social workers with the knowledge and skills to be successful working and leading in palliative care and interprofessional environments whether that is in a hospital, hospice or other setting. SEE VIDEO description.
Click HERE to learn more about Post-MSW Palliative Care Certificate!
If you’d like a 2-page PDF of all of these palliative care education course summaries, click HERE or the image below.
Stay Connected
If your organization has a particular educational need related to palliative care, please Email Us