Introduction to Palliative Care for Health Professionals
What You’ll Learn
All individuals living with serious illness can benefit from palliative care. This course provides clinicians from all specialties and disciplines with an introduction to palliative care, how it is delivered, its impact on quality of life, and the growing population of patients who need it.
Learning outcomes for this course include:
- Define palliative care and its core clinical services
- Explain why palliative care is appropriate at any stage of serious illness and its positive impacts on patients and caregivers
- Describe how the interdisciplinary palliative care team addresses all aspects of serious illness care
- Locate three additional CAPC resources to incorporate palliative care principles into practice
What You’ll Earn
After completing the course, you’ll earn a Verification of Attendance certificate.
Only CAPC members who are logged in can earn the following free Continuing Education Credits:
- 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Case Management: 1.00 CE
- Nursing: 1.00 CNE
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NASW)
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NYSED)
This course is open-to-all at no cost.
StartTake the course
Download your certificate
Tools & Resources
View course citations.
Definition of palliative care and how it improves quality of life for patients living with a serious illness, and their families.
Available on GetPalliativeCare.org, this handout contains patient and family-focused frequently asked questions about palliative care.
Spanish version of CAPC's handout containing patient and family-focused frequently asked questions about palliative care. Available on GetPalliativeCare.org. (Informacion sobre cuidados paliativos con preguntas y respuestas para pacientes y sus familias. Disponible en GetPalliativeCare.org.)
Searchable directory of specialty palliative care providers, filtered by care setting.
Read stories and articles about the impact of palliative care on real patients and families.
Online training curriculum for all specialties and disciplines to strengthen their care of patients living with serious illness. Free continuing education credits for all, and physicians receive ABIM MOC credits for select courses.
These tools can be used to make the case for palliative care investment with organization leaders, health plans, colleagues, and community partners.
Information for clinicians of all disciplines on the process of becoming certified palliative care specialists.
The National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines are the national standard for high quality palliative care. National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, 2018.
A palliative care physician helps a cancer patient cope with her coming death, while her oncologist struggles to give up treatment. Diane E. Meier, MD, FACP. Health Affairs Blog, 2014.
Why clinicians must unlearn well-intentioned but ultimately harmful conventions about race and ethnicity—and strategies to move forward.
Course Faculty
Constance Dahlin MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN. Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care
Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA. Senior Education Advisor, Center to Advance Palliative Care
Kesha Graham, LISW-CP, ACM-SW. Palliative Care Clinical Social Worker, Medical University of South Carolina
Rabbi Edith M. Meyerson, DMin, BCC. Director, Pastoral Counseling and Bereavement Services, Associate Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Peer Reviewers
Caroline Cruickshank, BSN, RN. George Washington University Hospital
Sophie Rotax, BSN, RN. George Washington University Hospital
Contact information: For answers to frequently asked questions about CAPC courses, read the Online Course FAQ. For technical questions about course activity, email membership@capc.org. For questions about continuing education credits, contact 201-957-0077.
Provided by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.