Palliative and Hospice Care Graduate Certificate
This post-baccalaureate certificate is designed to prepare individuals interested in palliative and hospice care with a deep understanding of the personal, professional, economic, and legal perspectives of delivering care to patients facing life-limiting disease, terminal illness, and death.
Person-centered, family-oriented care should be a priority, according
to the 2014 Institute of Medicine report, Dying in America.
The report acknowledges the need for better palliative care education
in order to meet the goal of high quality, affordable care for persons
with life-limiting illness.
Visit the program website for more information.
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Requirements and Course Delivery
Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 from an accredited college or university. It is not required to be admitted to a graduate degree program to be admitted to a certificate program.
The online classes are utilized by an experienced interprofessional
team of palliative and hospice care faculty members and clinicians to
deliver course content.
Learning Outcomes
- Contrast the interdisciplinary philosophy and delivery of care with existing traditional medical models.
- Delineate common types of pain and pain syndromes that contribute to symptom burden in individuals with life-limiting illness.
- Develop strategies to alleviate the complex symptoms of individuals with chronic and terminal illness using a team approach.
- Incorporate behaviors that acknowledge grieving and loss into routine care planning for individuals seeking palliative and hospice care.
- Assimilate evidence-based strategies into effective provider communication that integrates patients and families as the unit of care.
- Utilize an interdisciplinary framework to support and develop a plan of care for individuals who require palliative and/or hospice care.
Why Study Palliative and Hospice Care at Grand Valley?
- Gain a deep understanding of the personal, professional, and societal perspectives of delivering care to patients facing life-limiting disease, terminal illness, and death to become champions for the delivery of exceptional care.
- Assess treatment preferences, positioning organizations to better manage symptoms, increase patient satisfaction, and ensure efficient use of organizational resources.
- The certificate can be completed online.
Career Insights
This tool shows an overview of potential career opportunities for this major. Actual salaries, employment opportunities, and job titles may change over time.
Coursework
The certificate consists of 12 credit hours by completing four graduate level courses:
- NUR 581 - Chronic and Terminal Illness: The Palliative and Hospice Model
- NUR 582 - Complex Pain and Symptom Management
- SW 669 - Death, Grief, and Loss
- Choice of one elective NUR 607, NUR 620, PA 634, or SW 671
Application Deadline
Deadline for fall semester is March 1. The $30 nonrefundable application fee is waived if the applicant has previously applied to GVSU.
Admission Requirements
For general requirements for graduate admission, visit Grand Valley State University’s admission section of the online catalog.
If you have additional questions, please contact our graduate admissions office.
Helpful Links
For More Information
Kirkhof College of Nursing
gvsu.edu/kcon
333 Michigan St.,
Suite 415
(616) 331-7160
Program Director
Marie Vanderkooi, DNP
(616) 331-5903
Kirkhof College of Nursing Office of Student Services
(616) 331-7160
[email protected]