Palliative care is one of the most exciting and evolving specialties. The field of Palliative care is relevant for you regardless of your population focus or specialty- Palliative care is not only end-of-life care; the specialty is about improving symptom experience and outcomes and quality-of-life for patients and families grappling with serious life-limiting illnesses. This focus is reflected in the growth of palliative care programs in both adult and pediatric acute and chronic care and across settings.
The number of palliative care services has grown dramatically in the past decade. According to a recent report published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, over 50% of hospitals with 50 or more beds have palliative care programs and services.[1]
Why Penn's Palliative Care Minor?
Penn has nationally and internationally recognized faculty leading research and influencing national agendas and practice.
Penn's School of Nursing is among only 20 schools to offer opportunities for specialization in palliative care.
Our minor includes two core courses, and a third and highly recommended course: Advanced Practice Issues for Palliative Care.
The required curriculum is based on core competencies defined by the Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association emphasizing theory and concepts (NURS 557) and evidence-based symptom management (NURS 567).
We provide flexible plans of study as well as evening hours to accommodate education and work schedules.
The new Palliative Care Minor is designed to:
- More fully integrate content and approaches that are applicable to a wide variety of clinical settings and patient populations.
- Enhance the alignment of course content and assignments with national core competencies for APRNs specializing in Palliative Care APN role and to better prepare them for clinical practice. For example, several assignments are geared towards improving clinical decision making and communication skills.
- Accent the strength of the interdisciplinary and inter-agency relationships we have within Penn and the greater Philadelphia area. Faculty, guest speakers and preceptors in the program are national leaders and expert clinicians in palliative care.
- Make the program's learning experiences and course assignments more flexible to accommodate adult learners and students with diverse clinical and educational
