Palliative Care 3 End-of-Life Care Management
This 6-week online course focuses on end-of-life care for clients with progressive disease. Participants will explore the changes that occur with conversations and symptom assessment & management as clients near the end of life. They will examine the active dying and post-death care, interventions, role & responsibilities of Nurse Practitioners. A case-based approach will be used to enhance learning and application.
Course Outcomes
By the end of this course participants will be able to:
- Articulate the Nurse Practitioner’s role in providing competent end-of-life care for patients at the end stage of their illness.
- Utilize guidelines & tools for the management of common clinical issues seen during the end-of-life/terminal phase such as deprescribing, hydration and nutrition, and the management of cardiac devices.
- Describe the general signs and indicators of patients approaching end of life.
- Articulate appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and management of specific common symptoms at the end of life.
- Describe incidence, contributing factors, assessment, prognosis & intervention for possible palliative care emergencies at the end of life.
- Discuss palliative sedation indications, initiation, guidelines for interventions & monitoring, and support for families & staff.
- Discuss current state of MAID in Canada and the Nurse Practitioner’s role in supporting patients’ choice for MAID: including process for exploring requests, eligibility criteria, procedural & monitoring guidance/requirements and support for family.
- Identify the Nurse Practitioner’s role after a patient’s death.
- Distinguish between healthy & unhealthy grief and be able to identify risk factors/signs of complicated grief.
Audience
The certificate is for Nurse Practitioners (and/or Nurse Practitioner Program students) and those in Advanced Practice and/or CNS roles who, as part of their routine practice, may be responsible for the care of adult clients with progressive and life-limiting illnesses. The practice setting may include acute care, long-term care, community, primary care or private practice.
Course participants must hold current registration as a Nurse Practitioner in their province (or as a Registered Nurse enrolled in a Nurse Practitioner program; or working in an Advanced Practice Role).
Certificate Criteria
This is the third of three online courses as part of the Certificate in Palliative Care for Nurse Practitioners: Core Competencies for NP Practice. Participants successfully completing all three courses within a three-year period will receive the continuing education certificate.
- A passing grade of 70% is set for each course
- Courses may be taken in any order and participants may take individual courses without completing the full certificate
- Courses offered by the Centre for Professional Development cannot be credited towards a degree program
Course Outline
This course is a 6-week course delivered through the University of Toronto’s learning management system – Quercus. It is primarily self-paced; however participants are required to engage in discussions and submit activities/assignments within identified timelines (weekly). It is estimated that up to 8 hours of study per week is required for successful completion. The course will utilize a series of case scenarios to enhance learning and application.
In each of the 6 weeks, participants are expected to:
For this course, the learning activities / assignments include:
Pre-course access will be available to allow for testing of computers and general navigation.
| Time | Description | Evaluative Components |
|---|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
|
Discussion Board Post |
| Time | Description | Evaluative Components |
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2 |
Specific Symptom Presentation and Management at End of Life
|
Case/Quiz Assignment #1 |
|
Week 3 |
Palliative Emergencies at End of Life
|
Case/Quiz Assignment #2 LIVE Case Study Discussion/Participation |
|
Week 4 |
Palliative Sedation for Refractory Symptoms
|
Discussion Board Post |
|
Week 5 |
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)
|
Discussion Board Post |
| Time | Description | Evaluative Components |
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6 |
|
LIVE Case Study Discussion/ Participation |
Course Instructors
Valerie Cooper
Nurse Practitioner, Hospice Palliative Care Program
Home and Community Care Support Services Central East
Francyelle Fernandez
Nurse Practitioner Palliative Care, London Health Sciences Center
Course Instructor, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
Karen Lock
Nurse Practitioner, The Edwin S.H. Leong Geriatric Supportive Care Outreach Program & The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care, North York General Hospital
Adjunct Lecturer, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
Wendy McEwen
Nurse Practitioner, Palliative Care Consultation Team, Medicine Program, London Health Sciences Centre, University Hospital, London, ON
Course Instructor, Centre for Professional Development, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Registration Information
- Early Bird price (ends March 28, 2025)
- $735 + HST
- Regular price (starts March 29, 2025)
- $810 + HST
- U of T Nursing Alumni save 15%*
- $690 + HST
- U of T Nursing Adjunct and Status Faculty save 15%**
- $690 + HST
- NPAO Member save 15%***
- $690 + HST
Site Groups
A group discount rate of 15% is available for site groups of three or more people. To book please contact pd.nursing@utoronto.ca.
Please Note
- Refund Policy – To withdraw from the course and receive a refund, your written request must be emailed to pd.nursing@utoronto.ca by March 28, 2025. No refunds will be given after this date. All refunds are subject to an administration fee of $100 + tax. As an alternative, a colleague may attend in your place. Please send your substitution request at least 7 days before the course begins.
- Registration deadline: April 28, 2025.
- *U of T Nursing Alumni discount is available to BScN, MN, PMNP Diploma, MScN or PhD graduates of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto.
- **U of T Nursing Faculty discount is available to individuals with a faculty position, adjunct or status appointment, or are a Clinical Instructor (current academic year only) at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto.
- ***NPAO (Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario) members may register at the NPAO rate which is 15% off the regular rate. Please note, your name will be used to confirm that you are a member of the NPAO.
- Applicable taxes (13% HST) will be added to the registration fees.
- Course Cancellation Policy – The University reserves the right to cancel courses due to unavailability of instructors, facilities or insufficient enrolment. Decisions on course cancellations are made at least 15 calendar days prior to the course starting date, so early registration is recommended. If you enroll in a course that is subsequently cancelled, you may transfer to another section of that course if an alternative is available; or you may receive a full refund. We are not responsible for travel fees or any expenses incurred by you.
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