Providing Excellent Palliative Care - Online Course

The purpose of this course is to provide an example of quality care at the end of life through a case study of an elderly gentleman who is dying. The case will demonstrate how effective communication with a health care team provides for a desired quality of life and allows one to prepare for a peaceful death.

Course Objectives:

• Describe palliative care and how it differs from hospice care.
• Identify four dimensions of assessment and how each dimension impacts the way patients see their health care and impending death.
• Discuss ways that nurses can implement at least three simple services to patients and family members.
• Explain the Five Wishes document and identify ways it can be implemented into clinical practice.
• Discuss at least three components of excellent communication in the care of the seriously ill.

About the Author

Pam Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN is a Clinical Oncology Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience in clinical medical/surgical nursing and staff education. Currently, Malloy is the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Project Director at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. She works closely with researchers at The City of Hope which provides training for nurses from the U.S. and internationally in the ELNEC curriculum. Additionally, Malloy works on a project for the AACN funded by The California Endowment that develops cultural competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.