Registered Nursing Serious Illness Designation: Foundational Skills

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

Assesses for nine symptoms experienced by patients with serious illness and quantifies their severity. Alberta Health Services.

Brief (4-question) screening tool for anxiety and depression.

Assessment tool and resource list to address social risk factors.

Short conversation guide to elicit information about a patient's spiritual history and preferences.

Checklist of triggers for referral to a specialty palliative care team.

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

A position statement from Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association ( HPNA) is that healthcare decision-making is very personal and fluid. It is part of the nurse's role to advocate for the patient and family regarding their healthcare preferences.

Conversation framework and key phrases to share empathy and deepen your relationship with your patient. Vital Talk, 2019.

Defines unconscious bias and how it influences patient care, and provides ways to reduce the impact of unconscious bias on care delivery.

This resource lists step-wise tips to foster comfortable, productive dialogue for ‘the hospice conversation’.

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

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

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

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

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.

Recommended validated cognitive assessment tools.

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.

Considerations for clinicians, patients, and families upon diagnosis, including advance care planning, personal care needs, legal and financial planning, work and retirement planning, and prevention of common medical risks.

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

National database of community services - enter a zip code and locate assistance with food, housing, health services, care needs, and other resources.

Assessment questions to help nurses understand the impact of serious illness on a patient's relationships, social and spiritual supports, financial stability, and trust in the health care system. Fast Facts, April 2020