Providing Excellent Palliative Care - Online Course

The purpose of this course is to provide an example of quality care at the end of life through a case study of an elderly gentleman who is dying. The case will demonstrate how effective communication with a health care team provides for a desired quality of life and allows one to prepare for a peaceful death.

1. Describe palliative care and how it differs from hospice care.
2. Identify the four dimensions of assessment and how each dimension impacts the way patients see their health, quality of life, and impending death.
3. Recommend at least three services that the interdisciplinary team can offer to seriously ill patients and their family members.
4. Explain The Conversation Project and identify ways it can be implemented into clinical practice.
5. Discuss at least three components of excellent communication in the care of the seriously ill.

Author and Content Reviewer Biographies:

Pam Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN

Pam Malloy is a Clinical Oncology Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience in clinical medical/surgical nursing and staff education.

Currently, Malloy is the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Project Director at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. She works closely with researchers at The City of Hope which provides training for nurses from the U.S. and internationally in the ELNEC curriculum. Additionally, Malloy works on a project for the AACN funded by The California Endowment that develops cultural competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

Kelli Galle, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Kelli Galle is an experienced hospice nurse practitioner originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. She has a strong background in providing compassionate end-of-life care. Kelli also contributes to the field of nursing by serving as undergraduate faculty at UTHealth Houston Cizik School of Nursing. Her research interests focus on symptom management as well as experiential learning, aiming to improve patient well-being and supporting the development of future nurses.