Basic Communication – Pediatric Palliative Care Training

Basic Communication Skills for Pediatric Patient and Family Support

This 1.5 CE hour, self-paced online course explores the similarities and differences in communicating with pediatric hospice or palliative care patients and their families versus adult hospice and palliative care populations. It covers strategies such as active listening, attention to non-verbal communication, and employing the SPIKES protocol.

Why Take This Course?

Hospice and palliative care professionals typically work with many different types of families in crisis and grief, yet even experienced practitioners may feel anxious when asked to provide care for infants, children, teens, or young adults, and their families.

This course describes the challenges and joys of communicating with pediatric patients and their families, demonstrates how evidence-based communication tools can be applied in those populations, and reinforces how communication that is genuine and nonjudgmental is key in both adult and pediatric hospice and palliative care.   

This course can be taken on its own or as part of these comprehensive programs:

• Certificate in Clinical Pediatric Palliative Care – 66 CEs
• Multidisciplinary Certificate in Pediatric Palliative Care – 37.5 CEs

 Who Should Take This Course?

This course is ideal for hospice or palliative care teams, home health teams, or individual practitioners – including RNs, NPs, APRNS, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, and chaplains – who want to build comfort and competence in caring for pediatric patients and their families. 

Course Information

Fast Facts

Begins:	Immediately upon registration
Is taught:	Completely online and is available 24/7
Offers:	1.5 Continuing Education Hours
Costs:	$49
Requires:	Computing skills sufficient to complete graduate work, access to a computer with an Internet connection
Is ideal for:	Nurse Practitioners, APRNS, RNs, PAs, physicians, social workers, chaplains and other clinicians and therapists working in hospice, palliative care, or home health programs who want to build skills necessary to support pediatric patients and families
Cancellation Policy:	There are no refunds on our self-paced courses

Course Description

This course explores important differences and strategies in communicating with pediatric palliative care patients and families vs. adults in hospice or palliative care. It prepares learners to:

• Compare and contrast active listening and passive listening, including non-verbal communication queues
• Gently elicit information from pediatric patients and families about the physical, social, and spiritual areas of their lives
• Articulate phrases that are supportive of families and avoid those that are not
• Apply the steps of the SPIKES protocol during the first visit to pediatric patients and families
• Identify existing skills and abilities that palliative care staff have that will translate in caring for young patients and families

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

The Institute’s Pediatric Palliative Care curriculum was developed by expert clinicians in pediatric palliative care from leading children’s hospitals and hospice programs, with support from:

• Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition/Coalition for Compassionate Care of California
• Providence TrinityCare Hospice and Trinity KidsCare

COURSE AUTHOR

Joan “Jody” Ramer Chrastek, RN, DNP, FPCN, is the PACCT (Pediatric Advanced Complex Care Team) coordinator for Fairview Home Care and Hospice, Minneapolis, MN

Course Information