Palliative Care Specialty

9 credit hours, including 168 clinical hours

The palliative care specialty prepares nurses to work within an interdisciplinary care delivery system to promote quality of life and ameliorate physical and psychological stress for clients with life limiting illnesses and their family caregivers across the illness trajectory. Palliative care focuses on pain and symptom management, patient advocacy and education for patients and family caregivers. Palliative care experts are in high demand as the need for palliative care services in both urban and rural settings significantly outweighs the supply of experts.

The palliative care courses are available to students who are preparing to become certified advanced practice registered nurses or nurse practitioners with an MSN degree or higher from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited institution.