Online Palliative Care Course | Australian Online Courses

If you are looking to advance your career in the health and community care sector, this online palliative care course is an excellent choice to broaden your knowledge base.

The Certificate of Palliative Care is an online professional development program that will provide you with the awareness, knowledge, skills and values required to care for clients with a life-limiting illness and/or normal ageing process within a palliative care context.

In this online palliative care course, you will be enabled to contribute to the development, implementation, evaluation and communication of a care plan for clients using a palliative care approach. This program is ideal for those working in any healthcare setting who may be involved in the provision of palliative care to adult clients and their families.

On completion of this course, you will feel confident to work in a palliative care role in a range of settings, including hospice, home care, residential aged care facilities, and hospitals.

Printed learning materials are available for purchase for this course and can be ordered during enrolment.

Course Structure

Unit - Certificate of Palliative Care

Unit 1 – Deliver care services using a palliative approach

Recognise the holistic needs of person over time
Principles of holistic palliative care
Holistic, multidimensional approach
Interdisciplinary teamwork
Benefits of palliative care
Scope of palliative care over time
Supporting and respecting the person, family and carers
Understanding needs and preferences
Emotional impact of diagnosis
Shock and denial
Creating a supportive environment for expression of needs and preferences
Reporting to supervisors
Communicating about quality of life
PREPARED model
Communicate person’s quality of life, pain and comfort to supervisor
Talking about pain and comfort
Involving family and carers
Reporting information about quality of life, pain and comfort
Understanding and adjusting communication techniques
Practical support needs
Changing needs and preferences
Respecting the person as an individual
Person-centred care
Cultural, religious and spiritual differences
Inclusive decision making
Empathic communication
Advance Care Directives (ACDs) – individualised plans
Organisational legal and ethical requirements related to ACDs
Documenting end-of-life decisions
Legal compliance with end-of-life decisions
Reporting changes, needs and issues
Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD)
Observing needs of family, carers and others identified
Policies and procedures for referral
Supporting end of life location
Recognising signs and symptoms of pain
Pain management plan
Guidance from health professionals
Promoting comfort
Working within role boundaries
Monitoring pain management strategies
Concerns related to the use of pain-relieving medication
Regular review and changes to individualised plan
Culturally inclusive palliative care
Following the individualised plan
End-of-life
Maintain dignity
Legal and organisational requirements in after-death care
Culturally safe and respectful care
After death documentation
State/territory medico-legal requirements
Understanding signs and deterioration and the dying process
Stages of grief
Managing your own emotional responses
Recognising own emotional responses
Raising ethical issues or concerns
Understanding the impact of grief on self
Self-care strategies for workers
Bereavement care and peer support

Unit 2- Plan for and provide care services using a palliative approach

Approach to palliative client care
Curative and palliative differences
Palliative Care Australia (PCA)
Curative care
Palliative approach
Care plans
Transitions
Holistic approaches
Hospice team care
Principles and aims of care plans
Quality of life choices
Developing the plan
Client needs – consultation
Changes to plans
Spiritual and holistic needs
Diversity
Dignity and social context
Differences and stereotyping
Interpreter services
Privacy
Indigenous Australians
Client freedom
Client and carer roles
Address client issues
Provide emotional support
Legal and ethical implications
Ethics
Privacy
Documentation
Code of ethics
Legislation
Communication
Advanced care directives
Documentation
Legal and ethical implications
Will preparation
Code of ethics
Legislation
End-of-life decisions
Legal requirements
Do not resuscitate
Dignity
Location
Carer stress
Supporting carers
Supporting end-of-life decisions
Legal requirements
Suicide / euthanasia
Supporting care workers
End-of-life strategies
Cultural and spiritual wishes
Respecting dignity
Pain and discomfort
End of life
Imminent death / deterioration
Family carer support
Changes on the care plan
Client / family emotional needs
Alleviate pain
Promote comfort in care plan
Pain relief
Tolerance, dependence and addiction
Fatigue
Monitor and evaluate
Pain assessment
Incident pain
Policies procedures and legislation
Effectiveness of pain relief

Estimated Duration

30 hours

Course Delivery and Start

Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online

Assessment

Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.

Approval and Recognition

Australian Online Courses Pty Ltd is an approved and recognised member of IARC. The IARC is an International association that recognises quality and excellence in tertiary education providers.

Career Outcomes

Professional Development For:

Enrolled Nurse
Nurses Aide
Aged Care Workers
Hospice Nurses, Workers and Volunteers

The structure of the course enabled me to learn whilst fulfilling my current duties. I found the study material supplied relevant to the course and the assessment questions just the right mix to ensure I felt I had a good understanding of the subject as I worked through them. Looking forward to undertaking my next course and continuing my learning. Many thanks.