"HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL - PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE PROGRAM"
Open to all Internationally.
Program Description
"Only 60% of hospitals have palliative care programs in the U.S. Palliative care has a workforce shortage of approximately 5,000-11,000 physicians to meet existing palliative care needs; this deficit is likely to increase. The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine states that, 'students graduating from medical school today have very little, if any, training in the core precepts of pain and symptom management, communication skills, and care coordination for patients with serious or life-threatening illness.' "
source:hms.harvard.edu/pallcare/index.htm
The aim of the Palliative Care Education and Practice Program is to train health care practitioners on:
- Palliative care evaluation, psychosocial and spiritual assessment, ethical and cultural issues, palliative care in the areas of geriatrics and pediatrics, depression, and bereavement.
- Communication at the end of life such as breaking bad news, communicating across cultural barriers, family meetings, and providing feedback.
- Strategies to manage end-of-life pain and effectively communicate with patients and their families in end-of-life care.
- Appropriate assessment, monitoring, and documentation strategies to meet best practice standards.
The Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care also offers the following palliative care training programs:
Art and Science of Palliative Nursing –provides nurses with palliative care knowledge and skills such as caring for patients and families living with serious and/or life-threatening illness. Palliative care training for nurses focuses on promoting quality of life, suffering, psychosocial distress, spiritual concerns, pain management, cultural diversity, communication, ethics, end-of-life care and self-care.
Palliative Care for Hospitalists and Intensivists – provides palliative care training for hospital-based specialists. Training is provided to develop the skills required to deal with challenging end-of-life situations in the hospital.
source: hms.harvard.edu/pallcare/index.htm
Death and Dying Films