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Confederation College Recognition of Achievement

Palliative Care

The Palliative Care program prepares students to deliver compassionate, client-focused support to individuals and families facing life-limiting illnesses. It emphasizes developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to enhance comfort, dignity, and overall quality of life.

Program Start Options

IntakeDurationFormatCampusDomesticInternational
5105
Any Time
Up to 5 years
1 semester
Part-Time
Online Self-Paced
Remote
Domestic students accepted
International students not accepted
Distance Education Program

This online program is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals (RPNs, Orderlies, PSWs, Volunteers, Support Workers, Clergy etc.) who deal with the terminally ill and their families. Students will learn to provide compassionate care in which the quality of remaining life is the objective.

Please review the Courses, Admissions Requirements and Getting Started tabs for more information on this program.

Getting Started

Learn how to begin your educational journey by visiting our Getting Started page.

Contact Information

Admission Requirements

Any Time

Any Time (5105)

Admission Requirements for Domestic Students

  1. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (or equivalent) with courses from the College (C), University (U), University/College (U/C), or Open (O) preparation levels with Grade 12 English (C/U) Level.
  2. or successful completion of the Mature Student Assessment.
  3. or successful completion of the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) or General Education Development Test (GED), prior to May 2024.
  4. or appropriate credits from the Academic and Career Entrance program (ACE).
  5. or 19 years of age or older.

Other Courses Recommended

  • Grade 12 English or its equivalent is recommended.

Admission Requirements for International Students

This intake is not available for international students.

Student Accessibility and Essential Program Requirements

Confederation College is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive learning environment and will provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and College policy.

Students who require accommodations are encouraged to engage with Student Accessibility Services and are responsible for initiating and participating in the accommodation process. Accommodation is a collaborative process involving the student, Student Accessibility Services, faculty, and the Academic School. Requests for accommodation are considered on an individual basis, and the College will work with students to identify reasonable accommodations that provide equitable access to learning while maintaining the integrity of the program.

Students are expected to demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills, professional behaviours, learning outcomes, and competencies required to successfully complete their program. While the manner in which these requirements are demonstrated may be accommodated where appropriate, the essential requirements themselves must still be achieved.

For programs involving laboratories, field work, clinical placements, aviation environments, trades training, equipment operation, simulations, community placements, or other environments where health and safety are critical, accommodations must also be consistent with applicable legislation, professional standards, licensing requirements, accreditation standards, and workplace safety obligations.

In some circumstances, a requested accommodation may not be reasonable or possible where it would:

  • Fundamentally alter an essential program requirement, competency, or learning outcome.
  • Compromise the health or safety of the student or others.
  • Conflict with provincial or federal legislation.
  • Conflict with the requirements of an external regulatory, licensing, accreditation, or professional body.
  • Prevent the student from demonstrating competencies required for safe and effective professional practice.
Note

Where a particular accommodation cannot be provided, the College will work collaboratively with the student to identify whether an alternative accommodation can appropriately address the student’s disability-related needs while maintaining essential program requirements.

Courses

1 intake

Any Time5105

Semester 1

OL 431

Orientation to Palliative Care

30 hours

This course will provide an overview of Palliative Care and coping with death, dying and grief. The focus is to provide you with a review of the concepts of Palliative Care, the interdisciplinary team, hospice care, current approaches to care, and roles, issues and expectations of those working in Palliative Care. Identify what resources are available and discuss home care vs. institutional care.

OL 464

Palliative Care Communications

20 hours

This course will focus on communication with individuals with a life-limiting illness, their families and significant others. Topics include: basic process and steps of effective communication, factors influencing personal and cultural attitudes in communication, identifying basic verbal and non-verbal communication, self-care for palliative care providers, and identifying challenges and facilitators to effective communication in palliative care.

OL 476

Ethical/Legal and Spiritual Concerns

42 hours

This course will provide an overview of ethical, legal and spiritual issues in palliative care. Death and dying in relation to various life stages and cultural influences will be explored.

OL 499

Psychological and Social Implications

30 hours

This course is designed to enable students to develop a basic understanding of psychological and social implications in oncology and palliative care patients and their families throughout the trajectory of the illness experience. Topics to be explored include psychological distress, suffering, factors affecting coping and helping relationships, the grief journey, the role of culture, social changes during illness, end-of-life tasks, planning for death, burnout, and caring for caregivers.

OL 429

Comfort Measures

30 hours

The focus will be on comfort measures for the terminally ill patient. There will be an emphasis placed on promoting a realistic independence for the client based on his/her support systems.

Meet the Program Staff

1 staff member

Careers

The intended audience are students who are either working within the palliative care industry as volunteers and are requiring the credentials in order to continue their work or students who want to get into palliative care.

See Career Opportunities

Clicking the button will take you to a detailed dashboard with up-to-date job data tailored to your program, including salary ranges, job titles, and projected demand.

Pathways

Confederation College offers a variety of articulation agreements designed to help you advance your education and career. Whether you're coming to us from another institution or planning your next steps after completing your program, our pathways make your transition seamless and effective.

Students at Confederation College

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