Palliative Care Provider (MD, PA, and NP) Onboarding Curriculum

An introduction to palliative care, how it is delivered, its impact on quality of life, and the growing population of patients who need it.

Learn to define and characterize pain, recognize the prevalence of pain, understand disparities in pain management based on race, ethnicity, and gender.

Learn the components of a comprehensive pain assessment and its importance in safe and effective pain management.

Gain an overview of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain treatments, including risks and benefits, and learn how to match the analgesic to pain type.

Learn how to decide on an appropriate opioid, route of delivery, and dose, and understand how to prescribe for incident and breakthrough pain.

Practice prescribing initial opioid doses for different pain types and characteristics. Learn to adjust dosing as needed to manage pain effectively.

Learn to develop a pain treatment plan with realistic goals and proper documentation, and implement universal precautions to help with the risk of opioid use disorder.

Learn how to convert from short-acting to long-acting opioids, and calculate rescue doses for breakthrough pain using updated equianalgesic tools.

Learn how to identify and diagnose opioid use disorder (OUD) and practice communicating with patients about OUD and pain management.

Determine which patients may benefit from buprenorphine as a treatment for pain and opioid use disorder (OUD), and learn how to transition patients to buprenorphine.

Learn how to convert patients back and forth from oral to IV opioid formulations, how to prescribe patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), and how to treat acute pain crises.

After completing this course, learners will be equipped with evidence-based strategies to identify and treat anxiety in patients living with a serious illness.

Constipation occurs in at least 70% of patients living with a serious illness and often goes unrecognized. After completing this course, learners will have the tools to successfully identify and manage the impact of constipation.

After completing this course, learners will have the tools to accurately identify and treat depression in patients living with a serious illness.

After completing this course, learners will have the tools they need to manage dyspnea, including the physical causes of shortness of breath and the emotional impact on the patient.

Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of serious illness and can cause dangerous complications. After completing this course, learners will be equipped with practical skills to identify, manage, and reduce these symptoms.

Learn best practices for having patient-centered conversations about a serious illness diagnosis.

Learn how to effectively discuss prognosis with patients and their caregivers.

Learn best practices for building trust, eliciting patient values, and having patient-centered conversations about goals of care.

Learn to effectively lead meetings that help patients and caregivers become aligned around the patient’s goals.

Learn techniques to help patients and their caregivers plan for the future, both during the early stages of a serious illness and as a disease progresses.

Gain an overview of the experience of living with dementia and learn how to relieve distress for patients with dementia, and their caregivers.

Learn how to discuss a dementia diagnosis with patients and caregivers in a way that is sensitive, clear, and supportive.

Learn techniques for supportive communication with people living with dementia, and their caregivers, to help them prepare for the challenges they may face as dementia progresses.

Learn how to facilitate future planning discussions with people living with dementia, and their caregivers.

Learn how to assess caregiver burden and connect caregivers with needed support systems.

Learn about the sources of behavioral symptoms for people living with dementia and how to respond to them.

Learn how to relieve suffering from common mood and sleep disturbances in order to improve quality of life for people living with dementia, and caregivers.

Learn about common health complications for people living with advanced dementia and how to support patients and caregivers.

The role of the direct care worker in observing and reporting suffering in patients with serious illness.

Assessing and supporting caregivers of people with serious illness.

Guidance for all clinicians on improving communication and ensuring smooth transitions of care for patients living with serious illness.

This course provides context and best practices for identifying older adults at risk for poor outcomes, including falls, delirium, and caregiving challenges.