The Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care (HMS CPC) offers courses to help address the worldwide need for palliative care specialists.
Palliative Care Education and Practice (PCEP)
A course for palliative care clinical and education leaders
HMS CPC’s flagship course, Palliative Care Education and Practice (PCEP), is a comprehensive course delivered in two parts on an adult or pediatric track. PCEP provides physicians, nurses, and social workers a structure in which to efficiently acquire the competencies necessary to influence our current changing health care environment. Part 1 consists of six days of intensive learning, followed by a six-month interim during which participants work on an individual project and contribute to online discussions of problematic, clinical, educational, or program development cases. Part 2 consists of six days of continued experiential learning, training, and consolidation.
Practical Aspects of Palliative Care (PAPC): Integrating Palliative Care into Clinical Practice
A foundational program in palliative care for new and experienced clinicians
This 2-day course is designed to offer physicians, nurses, social workers, and other clinicians the information and skills needed to provide high-quality palliative care to patients with serious illnesses in a variety of practice settings. It addresses the assessment and management of current challenges in palliative care, including the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual/existential sources of suffering experienced by patients and their families. Through plenary sessions and small breakout groups, participants will develop a toolbox of palliative care competencies and will learn from colleagues facing similar practice challenges.
Art & Science of Palliative Nursing (ASPN)
A course for nurses in palliative care basics
This 2-day course is designed to provide generalist and advanced practice nurses with palliative care knowledge and skills applicable across the health continuum. Through an adult learning model, ASPN focuses on essential principles and concepts that guide caring for patients and families living with serious and/or life-threatening illness.
Research Methods in Supportive Oncology (RMSO)
An intensive 6-day workshop for early-stage researchers
This NCI-funded intensive 6-day workshop will provide an overview of fundamental methods, such as study designs, qualitative and survey methods, and approaches to data analysis in supportive oncology research. Over the course of the workshop, participants will write a complete study protocol under the direct mentorship of expert faculty in the field of supportive oncology. Participants will continue to receive assistance after the workshop from their workshop mentors to help in the implementation of their studies at their home institutions.
Advanced Workshop on Research Skills in Oncology
An intensive 3-day virtual workshop for early-career researchers
This NCI-funded intensive 3-day virtual workshop is designed to provide early-career principal investigators a foundation in these critical skills within a short period of time. Beginning with personal assessments, participants will learn how to use their specific strengths to lead more effectively, increase collaborations, and stay resilient in the face of challenges.