Palliative Care Registered Nurse 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 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.

Conducting a comprehensive pain assessment to guide safe and effective treatment.

Patient and family factors that influence prescribing decisions for patients with serious illness.

Integrating routine risk assessment for substance use disorder when considering or using opioid therapy.

Ongoing evaluation of opioid benefits, risks, and side effects for the patient with serious illness.

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

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.

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.