Study Guide

Objective

The student
- acts as an expert of his/ her own field in a multi-professional team according to a proactive care plan.
- plans, implements and assesses comprehensive patient-oriented symptom management in palliative care and terminal care based on evidence
- adapts evidence-based knowledge on distinctive features of various illness groups as part of qualitative symptom management.
- make appropriate use of health and wellness technology in assessing the need for treatment, patient guidance, supporting self-care and monitoring the patient's/client's health status and supporting decision-making regarding treatment.
- widely adapts methods of symptom management, taking into consideration the patient's life expectancy, and assesses their efficiency.
- adapts his/ her competence in the processes of patient terminal care taking into consideration the patient's significant others.

Content

Contents:
- Multi-professional co-operation in symptom management
- Pre-emptive symptom management treatment plan
- Comprehensive symptom management: assessment of symptoms and various symptom assessment tools
- symptom management counseling
- pain
- breathing difficulties
- symptoms of gastrointestinal tract
- mouth symptoms
- neurological symptoms
- psychological symptoms
- dermatological symptoms
- general symptoms
- Total pain, overall suffering
- Palliative sedation
- Emergency situations
- Special features of cancer-, heart-, respiratory, neurological and memory illness symptom management as well as special group's symptom management
- The process of dying and after death care

Evaluation scale

Passed/failed

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

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Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student's expertise is demonstrated in accordance with the learning goals' criteria. Competence is assessed on the basis of constructive evaluation. The student, a peer student and the supervising teacher carry out a discussion about the student's competence and its development in respect to the learning goals.
Special palliative care competence needed in working life, in other words the ability to build together knowledge, skills, experience, values and social networks, will be assessed. General assessment criteria for demonstration of competencies based on NQF/ EQF-level 6 will be used in assessment. In addition, detailed criteria based on competence description will be used.

Qualifications

In case the student has previously acquired elsewhere competencies required in this specialization education, he/ she can demonstrate prior competencies and concentrate then his/her learning on areas of expertise where he/she does not have yet enough competence.
Prior competencies are individually assessed and recognized according to the University of Applied Sciences Degree Regulations, and in accordance with the learning goals mentioned in the specialization education.
Regulations regarding Recognition of Prior Competencies (RC) have been agreed on in a national network and each University of Applied Sciences has the autonomy to deal with RC-applications according to the Degree Programme in question.

Further information

Implementation:
Contact teaching, online learning
- Competence tests
- Expert lectures and preliminary assignments
- Functional training