End of Life Challenges and Palliative Care

Around the world, there is growing interest in palliative care, end of life issues, and the cultural values that surround dying, death, and bereavement. Meanwhile, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become obvious how necessary end of life skills are for all health and social care providers.

On this ten-week microcredential from the University of Glasgow, you’ll be introduced to new critical perspectives from within the social sciences, humanities, and clinical disciplines. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that encourages new ways of thinking, you’ll gain the tools to reflect on your own professional and personal encounters with dying, death, and grief.

Understand historical and cultural expectations of ageing and dying

How we understand dying and death is bound up with its presentation throughout history and within each culture and religion. In other words, death is as much a social and cultural process as it is a biological event.

You’ll start the course by exploring the social construction of death, and historical and cultural expectations around ageing and dying. You’ll discover how cultural attitudes towards dying and old age influenced policy and clinical responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examine the difficulties of diagnosing dying

Diagnosing dying is not as easy as you might think. You’ll look at why this is not easily done in social and clinical settings, and consider the implications for initiating end of life conversations and planning for death.

You’ll also discuss frailty, dementia and end of life care, seeing what the current healthcare system can offer in terms of treatment and understanding.

Investigate evolving approaches to palliative care, assisted dying, and grief

The overarching focus of this microcredential is how people and healthcare systems are responding to the challenge of delivering end of life care in an ageing world, and with a growing global population.

You’ll investigate how end of life practices are evolving, comparing approaches in different countries around the world. Next, you’ll find out about the historical development of pain theories and about the biopsychosocial theory of pain. With this knowledge, you’ll explore the origins and development of palliative care around the world and also reflect on whether or not palliative care can be considered a human right.

Moving forward, you’ll delve into the thorny area of assisted dying. You’ll examine why people ask for help to die, and how assisted dying is being implemented around the world. You’ll also explore the relationship between assisted dying and palliative care.

Finally, you’ll explore bereavement care, which is tied to palliative care delivery. Understanding of the social psychology of grief has changed across the decades. You’ll explore this shifting terrain, finding out about ‘complicated grief’ and ‘disenfranchised grief’, as well as considering cross-cultural variation in how grief is expressed and understood.

Gain essential skills with professionals in the industry

End of Life Challenges and Palliative Care is led by the University of Glasgow’s End of Life Studies Group, a research and teaching team dedicated to examining end of life issues. This course is supported and approved by the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh (RCPE), and learners who are members of the RCPE will earn 50 CPD Credits upon completion of this microcredential.

By the end of the 10-week course, you’ll have deepened your own thinking on a range of end of life issues, while gaining the training and credentials you need to work in palliative care.

How will this microcredential help to develop my career?

“Managing end of life and applying palliative care skills” has been recognised as a vital skill for postgraduate medical training. With this, there is an increased demand for clinicians within the United Kingdom and abroad to gain additional skills in this area. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, these skills have never been more essential.

While the demand for training like this microcredential particularly concerns postgraduate doctors in training, the cross-speciality nature of dying in healthcare means the course will also be valuable for other healthcare professionals, including nurses, physician associates, SAS doctors, consultants, and other allied health professionals.

You’ll gain in-depth knowledge and demonstrable expertise in an increasingly crucial medical and social field. You’ll also enhance your communication skills and your ability to discuss the complex ethical issues around dying, death, and bereavement. Finally, you’ll be better able to think critically about how the dying are treated socially and clinically, and the importance of meaning-making at the end of life. These critical-thinking skills have the potential to inform your clinical practice as well as heighten your understanding of global inequalities in relation to the relief of suffering at the end of life.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through two separate assignments: a 1,500-word reflective report and a PechaKucha presentation.

In the 1500-word reflective report, you will draw on course materials and on your professional and/or personal experience to critically reflect on and connect ideas presented in the course. This will be worth 60% of the grade.

A PechaKucha is a presentation application involving slides and audio commentary on each slide. Learners will create a short and visually appealing presentation to elaborate on aspects of their written reflective report. This will be worth 40% of the grade. Support will be available on how to develop and record a PechaKucha presentation.

What will I receive after completing this microcredential?

After you have submitted both parts of your assessments and they have been marked, you will receive a grade for your assessment.

Once you’ve successfully completed the microcredential, you’ll receive 10 postgraduate level academic credits and a HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Record) from the University of Glasgow. Members of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh (RCPE) will receive 50 CPD credits upon completion.