This overview provides learners with key concepts surrounding the holistic approach to hospice and palliative nursing. The module explores what it’s like to be a palliative care or hospice nurse and illustrates what it takes to be effective in delivering optimal patient and family centered nursing care.

This module outlines the structures and processes of palliative care delivery, including interdisciplinary team roles and responsibilities, team communication and dynamics, and how the team supports delivery of optimal care across all settings.

Effective communication is vital to recognizing all aspects of a patient’s and family’s experience, including anticipatory grief and family needs. This module describes techniques to facilitate communication and gain skills necessary to hold difficult conversations, including advance care planning discussions.

Several topics related to pain management are covered in this module, including the effects of unrelieved pain and its impact on functional status and quality of life. Both nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches are addressed. The module includes guidelines on the use of opioids, equianalgesic conversation guides, and other therapeutic interventions available to support optimal pain management for patients with serious illness.

This module provides an overview of common symptoms that are encountered in patients who experience cardiac and respiratory issues. This module describes the etiologies, characteristics, and interventions for these conditions and introduces strategies to help improve the functional status and quality of life for patients. It includes both nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment options.

This module provides an overview of common symptoms encountered in patients who experience GI, GU, and integumentary issues. This module describes the etiologies, characteristics, and interventions for these conditions and introduces strategies to help improve the functional status and quality of life for patients. It includes both nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment options.

This module provides an overview of common symptoms encountered in patients who experience neurological issues and addresses common mental health challenges that are often seen with hospice and palliative care patients. This module describes the etiologies, characteristics, and interventions for these conditions and introduces strategies to help improve the functional status and quality of life for patients. It includes both nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment options.

This module provides insight into the expected disease trajectories and characteristics of advanced illnesses such as cancer, advanced heart failure, advanced lung disease, end-stage liver disease, advanced renal failure, and dementia. It also explores potential urgent medical syndromes near the end of life, secondary to disease progression.

This module provides insight into the active dying process and the nurse’s role in caring for patients nearing the end of life. It addresses common symptoms that occur when death is nearing and shares interventions that can help ease family concerns during this critical period.

Medical care in today’s world is quite complex; numerous advances in technology provide a wide array of potential treatment options for patients and caregivers. This module covers key ethical principles and challenges that may occur in hospice and palliative care.

Caring for those with serious illness can be difficult to cope with. This module addresses the importance of integrating self-care strategies to manage moral distress and the impact of compassion fatigue.

This module reviews the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in hospice and palliative care. It includes an exploration of social determinants of health and ways that you can advocate for equitable care for your patients and families.