Course Code: REL-PAC-ELNEC-USMCC
Hours: 1.25
Type: Online Course
Content Expiration Date: 12/31/2026
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the role of the nurse in effective communication with the patient, family, and interprofessional team across the serious illness trajectory and at end of life.
Describe the use of attentive listening and mindful presence as part of communication with patients with serious illness(es) and their families.
Identify three communication techniques that you can use to discuss topics in palliative care and at the end of life.
Outline:
Section 1: Introduction
About This Module
Learning Objectives
Section 2: Communication Considerations and Context
The Nurse’s Role
Barriers to Communication
Culture and Identity Considerations in Communication
Culturally Sensitive Communication
Communication with Family
Starting a Conversation with Family Caregivers
Advance Care Planning Conversations
Out-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order
Review
Summary
Section 3: Communication Techniques
Therapeutic Communication
Empathy
Nonverbal Communication
Listening
Verbal Communication
Attentive and Mindful Listening
Therapeutic Presence
Listening and Presence in Action
Reflections
Practice #1
Giving “The Words”
Interviewing Patients
Ask-Tell-Ask
Ask-Tell-Ask in Action
Reflections
Practice #2
Communication Techniques
I’m Sorry vs. I Wish
There Is Always Hope
Facilitating End-of-Life Discussions
Am I Dying?
Reflections
A Difficult Discussion
Key Points
Communicating an Unexpected Death
Pediatric Sudden Death
Reflections
Communicating with the Team
Handling Conflict
Review
Summary
Section 4: Conclusion
Module Summary
Course Contributors
Resource
References
Subject Matter Expert: 2023 ELNEC Undergrad New Graduate Series
The content for this course was written by The ELNEC Project Team.
The ELNEC Project, which began in 2000, is a collaboration between City of Hope, Duarte, CA and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Washington, DC. For more information about ELNEC, go to www.aacnnursing.org/ELNEC
The content for this course was revised by:
Andra Davis, PhD, MN, RN, Associate Professor and ELNEC Co-Investigator, School of Nursing and Health Innovations, University of Portland.
Dr. Davis has clinical expertise in oncology, palliative and hospice care. As nursing faculty at University of Portland School of Nursing and Health Innovations in Portland, Oregon, she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and Integrative Health and Wellness students. Her research expertise focuses in two areas: palliative care education and use of evidence-based guidelines in cancer symptom care. She is the co-investigator with the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) focused on supporting schools of nursing to advance palliative care education for undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Davis has a collaborative research partnership developing palliative care outcome measures for use in undergraduate nursing education. A ‘research hub’ housed at University of Portland was created for educators around the country to access these palliative care education evaluation measures and for ongoing psychometric evaluation of the tools.
Megan Lippe, PhD, MSN, RN, Associate Professor and ELNEC Co-Investigator, School of Nursing, UT Health San Antonio.
Dr. Megan Lippe is an Associate Professor with tenure and palliative care expert. She has been recognized as an emerging national leader for palliative nursing care education with published works in areas related to palliative care education, simulation, interprofessional education, and social justice. She is the co-lead of a research team evaluating implementation and outcomes for the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Undergraduate Curriculum. Dr. Lippe has been a registered nurse since 2009, and earned her BSN, MSN, and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She taught at the UT Austin from 2011-2016 and the University of Alabama from 2016-2021. Dr. Lippe joined the faculty at UT Health San Antonio in the fall 2021. In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Lippe has conducted multiple studies that have resulted in the creation of new quantitative measures to assess primary palliative care curriculum, self-competence, knowledge and competence for nursing students and entry-to-practice nurses. She has developed and tested multiple, high-fidelity, palliative care simulations and has worked as a simulation consultant and specialist. Dr. Lippe is a 2019 Cambia Sojourns and recipient of the 2017 ELNEC Award and 2019 Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association New Investigator Award.
Target Audience:
The target audience for this course is: General Staff; in the following settings: Hospice, Palliative Care.
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Course Delivery Method and Format
Asynchronous Distance Learning with interactivity which includes quizzes with questions/answers, and posttests.