Indigenous 
Overview
This program is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of RPNs, orderlies, PSWs, volunteers, support workers and clergy 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. Students will explore symptom control as the basis to develop a team approach which includes the patient and those close to them. Palliative care also attempts to provide bereavement care for families.
Find more on How to Register and some FAQs at these links.
Program Details
Program Highlights
- Prepare to provide compassionate, person-centred care that supports comfort, dignity, and quality of life during serious illness and end-of-life.
- Designed for RPNs, PSWs, orderlies, support workers, volunteers, clergy, and others who care for individuals with life-limiting illnesses.
- Build practical skills in symptom management, comfort measures, and holistic approaches to care.
- Develop confidence in communicating with empathy and supporting individuals and families through difficult conversations and decisions.
- Explore the emotional, psychological, cultural, spiritual, and ethical dimensions of palliative and end-of-life care.
- Learn evidence-informed strategies to support individuals, families, and caregivers throughout the palliative care journey.
- Understand the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and community resources in delivering coordinated, high-quality care.
- Apply your learning across a variety of care settings, including hospitals, hospices, long-term care homes, home and community care, and supportive living environments.
- Graduate with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference during life’s most important moments.
Program Outline
2026-2027
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In this course, students will examine the physiological, psychological, social and spiritual changes that affect aging adults, with the aim to prepare individuals working in retirement community facilities to support the provision of ethical, responsible care that enables residents to live well. Topics will include the caregiving landscape in Canada, and physiological and psychological changes, both typical and atypical, that affect aging adults, including common health problems and cognitive illnesses. Additional topics will inculde spirituality, mental health, life planning, changing requirements for physical activity, and wellness and health promotion measures.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent, OR 19 years of age or older.
Fees
For course fees, please view the following page and click "Part-Time Fees - Quick Reference". Please note that fees are subject to change and updated fees will be available each semester during the registration process.
Career Opportunities
- Hospice programs as a care coordinator, volunteer coordinator, bereavement support worker, or administrative staff.
- Long-term care homes in recreation, activation, social services, admissions, or family support roles.
- Home care agencies as a care coordinator, scheduler, client service representative, or case assist.
- Community organizations that support seniors, caregivers, or people living with serious illnesses.
- Funeral homes in family support or bereavement-related positions.
- Faith-based organizations providing pastoral or spiritual care (if you have the appropriate background).
- Volunteer management for hospices or community palliative care programs.
- Patient advocacy or navigation roles with non-profit organizations.
Program Contacts
To connect with us about this program, please fill out this brief form.