Course Description
This course will focus on training and educating nursing assistants and others who care for those who have a terminal illness and require hospice and palliative care. The course includes an overview of hospice and palliative care particularly as it applies to nursing assistants, pain and symptom management, ethical issues, cultural issues, communication at the end of life, care of the family, and spiritual care. This course will incorporate clinical practicum experiences that will be performed under the guidance of a mentor to ensure the practical application of the objectives of the course.
Prerequisite
- None
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Describe the major goals of hospice care, the members of the hospice team,and the roles of the nursing assistant or direct caregiver.
- Identify effective strategies for pain observation and management.
- Explain the importance of symptom management at the end of life and the role of the caregiver in symptom management.
- Discuss ethical issues that occur at the end of life and the effective management of these issues.
- Examine effective end of life communication skills for family members.
- Describe cultural and spiritual competence and ways to provide culturally and spiritually competent care.
- Describe the near death and dying process and key caregiver roles at these times.
- Describe professional standards and expectations as a hospice caregiver.
Course Activities and Grading
For each unit, we will follow the DOIT format:
Define - identifies the objectives of the unit each week.
Observation - this includes lecture, reading assignments and field experiences/assignments
Intervention - engage in field experiences/assignments
Tried and True - assignments that may include discussion board questions, papers, and/or quizzes
| Assignments | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|
Discussions (Weeks 1-8) | 150 | 20% |
Quizzes (Weeks 1-7) | 140 | 20% |
Clinical Journaling (Weeks 1-7) | 140 | 20% |
Case Study (Week 8) | 10 | 20% |
Final Exam (Week 8) | 100 | 20% |
Total | 540 | 100% |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak's online bookstore
- Sutermaster. (2015). Core Curriculum for the Hospice and Palliative Nursing Assistant. Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association. 3rd edition. ISBN-10: 1-934654-48-5 or ISBN-13: 978-1-934654-48-4
Course Schedule
| Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1,8 | Topics: Introduction and Overview of Hospice and Palliative Care
|
|
2 | 2,3 | Topics: Pain and Symptom Management at the End of Life
|
|
3 | 4 | Topic: Ethical Issues in End of Life Care
|
|
4 | 5,8 | Topic: Communicating at the End of Life
|
|
5 | 6 | Topics: Cultural and Spiritual Care
|
|
6 | 5,6,8 | Topics: Loss and Bereavement
|
|
7 | 7 | Topic: Care of the Patient and Family When Death is Near
|
|
8 | 1-8 | Topics: Conclusion and Reflection |
|
Final Exam | |||
COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.