A Walk in the Woods: Updates on Palliative Medicine & End-of-Life Care for Social Workers is organized by Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey (GOCCNJ).

Release Date: May 30, 2025
Expiration Date: May 30, 2028

Learning Objectives:

Consider how palliative care may improve quality of life and life expectancy in the seriously ill
Identify gaps in medical education that contribute to poor end-of-life (EOL) care, clinician burnout, depression and suicide
Highlight the importance of prognostication; identify measures to assist in making accurate prognosis
Identify strategies for improved patient centered medical decision making including addressing cross cultural differences regarding serious illness/death across the healthcare team, potential impacts of disparities on EOL care and the importance of appropriate cross-cultural communication
Facilitate conversations about diagnosis, prognosis, and how to deliver bad news using the 4 Step model
Describe the role Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) plays in EOL planning and how to introduce it in practice; identify appropriate patients that would benefit from POLST
Identify systemic and technological breakthroughs in palliative medicine; discuss at home programs; share information about national coalitions & programs
Identify those eligible for hospice care and describe the Medicare hospice benefit
Describe the laws and regulations around Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)
Review evidence based methods for reducing stress and burnout among the healthcare team