Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in Aged Care

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Flinders University

Comments about Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in Aged Care - On Campus - Bedford Park - South Australia

• Objectives
  This course aims to meet the professional development needs of practitioners involved in policy, planning or delivery of palliative care services to older persons. It seeks to introduce students to the principles and skills involved in the provision of palliative care in aged care. It aims to provide practitioners from backgrounds in either gerontology or palliative care with education in the specialty area of palliative care in aged care. This award will build on the Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care in Aged Care. Specifically, the course aims: * to enable practitioners in the area to select a series of topics built on core material, that will assist them to critically assess and address particular needs within their practice; * to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to work together in appraisal, assessment and problem-solving required of an interdisciplinary professional team in this area; * to develop independent critical thinkers who will guide the practice of palliative care in applied gerontology into the next stage of its development; * to introduce the concepts of death, dying and palliative care in applied gerontology and the implications of these concepts for professional practice; * to outline views of ageing, particularly the 'life-course perspective'; * to examine the legislative and ethical issues pertaining to the provision of palliative care in aged care settings; * to develop knowledge and skills in assessing and critiquing introductory level gerontological and palliative care research; * to provide opportunities for students to access and develop skills in continuing online learning and web-based research in relation to professional practice. Learning outcomes At the completion of the course, students are expected to be able to: * discuss all the core course concepts of contemporary gerontology and palliative care (eg. healthy ageing and dying, life-course, generativity, loss and grief, interdisciplinary practice, ageist stereotyping); * articulate the 'life-course perspective' in relation to other perspectives; * undertake effective Internet literature reviews on a range of issues and an assessment and critique of a range of pieces of gerontological and palliative care research; * complete professional palliative aged care planning, programming and problem solving tasks; * identify ageing and dying in a global context and from a range of cultural and spiritual perspectives and describe the impact of differing perspectives on practice; * undertake, reflect upon and evaluate core professional tasks such as basic clinical and needs assessment, symptom management and ethical decision-making; * identify their own learning needs and to address these in elective topics which expand the knowledge and skills required in their particular practice and work setting.
• Entry requirements
  Applicants who do not hold the Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care in Aged Care must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution in an area related to palliative care or gerontology. The Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.
• Academic title
  Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in Aged Care
• Course description
  The Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in Aged Care is a 36-unit program offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences on a Commonwealth Supported basis. The course articulates with the Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care in Aged Care and the Master of Palliative Care in Aged Care and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the awards. Students who hold the graduate certificate or graduate diploma receive credit for topics towards the Master of Palliative Care in Aged Care. The program can be undertaken full-time in two semesters or equivalent part-time.
  

  
  PROGRAM OF STUDY [November, 2008]
  
  To qualify for the Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care in Aged Care, a student must complete 36 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below.
  
  Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.
  
  Students undertake the following 24 units of core topics:
  
  Core topics
  
  AGES8001
      
  
  Introduction to Social Gerontology
      
  
  3
  
  AGES8002
      
  
  Principles of Clinical Gerontology
      
  
  3
  
  AGES8003
      
  
  Psychological Dimensions of Ageing
      
  
  3
  
  AGES8004
      
  
  Multidisciplinary Gerontology Assessment
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8410
      
  
  Palliative Care in Aged Care Settings
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8411
      
  
  Palliative Clinical Management A
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8412
      
  
  Palliative Clinical Management B
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8413
      
  
  Communication at the End of Life A
      
  
  3
  
  Elective topics
  
  AGES8010
      
  
  Mental Health and the Older Person
      
  
  3
  
  AGES8013
      
  
  Medication and Ageing
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8407
      
  
  Oncology for Palliative Care
      
  
  6
  
  PALL8409
      
  
  Spiritual and Cultural Aspects of Palliative Care
      
  
  6
  
  PALL8414
      
  
  Communication at the End of Life B
      
  
  3
  
  PALL8415
      
  
  Suffering, Futility and Ethics and Rehabilitation in Palliative Care
      
  
  6
  
  PALL8416
      
  
  Palliative Care for Indigenous Populations - Health, Culture and Society
      
  
  6
  
  PALL8418
      
  
  Understanding Cancer
      
  
  3
  
  Except with permission of the Faculty Board:
  
      * the course must be completed full-time within two consecutive semesters or part-time within six consecutive semesters. A lesser period may be set for students granted credit for previous studies.
      * no topic may be attempted more than twice.
  
  The award of a grade of Fail (F) in 18 units or more, or the award of a grade of Fail (F) in the same topic on more than one occasion, may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University's Policy on Student Progress.
  
  

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