Palliative Care - Flinders University

Palliative Care:
Dying matters

Deliver exceptional services and quality of care for people who are at the end of life, as well as the carers and families beside them.

Why upskill in palliative care?

Palliative care makes a difference when it matters most.

All health professionals at some stage in their career will care for people who are dying and will be required to draw on clinical skills to provide excellent palliative and end-of-life care.

Palliative care is the responsibility of all health care professionals including doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, social workers and dietitians who help treat symptoms, manage daily tasks, provide rehabilitation, and offer support.

You may wish to advance your clinical practice to become better prepared to provide care for a dying patient and their carers in settings such as acute hospitals, ambulatory care settings, aged care facilities and palliative care units.

You may wish to build the knowledge and skills required to become a palliative care specialist to help optimise the quality of life for people – young and old – who are living with life-limiting or terminal illnesses. Or you may wish to develop skills to undertake research or quality assurance projects focused on improving the delivery of palliative care.

Study options

Short Course in Palliative Care Nursing

Postgraduate Palliative Care

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Why Flinders?

Teaching staff

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Open Days 365 offers a range of ways to find out everything you need to know about study at Flinders.

Why study Palliative Care at Flinders?

Connect with industry leaders

Flinders University Palliative and Supportive Services are leaders in palliative care and end-of-life care. We have strong collaborations with state and national governments, as well as with clinical service providers. We are also responsible for several highly successful national projects and work with government and industry to improve health and end-of-life care for all Australians.
Our palliative care teaching team comprises experienced nurses, allied health professionals, and research leaders in a variety of areas. Many of our casual teaching staff are doctors, nurses and allied health professionals and are located across Australia working in diverse roles and contributing vastly to our topics.
As individuals, we are also members of Palliative Care Australia, Palliative Care SA, Australian Allied Health in Palliative Care and Palliative Care Nurses Australia.
We are a member of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, a global platform that informs and empowers individuals, governments and organisations to increase access and optimise the practice of palliative care.
Teaching team members also hold positions on various state and national committees related to palliative and end-of-life care.

Extend your skillset to enhance your clinical practice

Deepen your knowledge base and skills required for practice in palliative care within a global context. Our palliative care courses give professionals from any health discipline the opportunity to extend their knowledge base on which their practice is grounded.
Topics covered in the palliative care courses are relevant to your immediate and potential future professional needs. The topic offerings are wide and varied to suit your interests and deliver knowledge and skills for palliative care practice across the lifespan.
Build the skills and knowledge in areas such as communication at end of life, oncology for palliative care, palliative care in aged care settings, understanding cancer, clinical management, palliative care in Indigenous populations, and paediatric palliative care.
We take an interdisciplinary approach to our learning that appreciates diverse professional perspectives. This reflects the multidisciplinary nature of teams who care for people at the end of life.

Enjoy a supportive, student-centred learning environment

We provide you with flexibility, with experts who have substantial experience in online teaching. Our palliative care courses have flexible delivery modes to work around your work and life schedules with courses available full time or part time. Some of our topics are also offered internally on campus.
Our cohorts include students from around Australia and overseas, meaning you can potentially share an online learning environment with people from around the globe.

Be equipped with knowledge of the latest evidence-based practice

Several of our teaching staff are also active researchers who are nationally and internationally recognised in the field of end-of-life care and palliative care.
Our researchers are engaged in a highly collaborative research culture in the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD). This is led by Professor Jennifer Tieman, Director and a Matthew Flinders Fellow. The centre’s research contributes to the translation of palliative care evidence for use by health professionals and by patients, carers and families.
Students have the opportunity to develop research skills and progress from coursework to higher degree by research through learning pathways that cater for clinicians with and without honours degrees

Get inspired

Improving care at the end of life is everyone's business

Embedding end of life care into the usual practice of all healthcare professionals in acute hospitals is a goal of Flinders palliative care graduate Alison Hession.

Santanu leads palliative care movement

Until 2002 ‘palliative care’ was unheard of in North Eastern India but as a result of personal tragedy, Santanu Chakraborty (GradCertHlth ’08) has been leading a movement to create awareness and establish palliative care services in the region.

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Teaching staff

Our incredible teaching and research staff are experts in their professions and well-connected to industry.

Academic Lead – Associate Professor Kim Devery

Kim is an academic and works in the field of end-of-life and palliative care. She also leads the strategic development of the palliative care postgraduate courses. In her teaching, Kim guides doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in post-graduate studies, ultimately to strengthen their capacity in delivering health care services to patients who are at the end of life.

Course Coordinator, Palliative Care – Deb Rawlings

Deb has over 30 years' experience in palliative and end of life care. As a nurse she trained and worked clinically in oncology and palliative care. She has worked in palliative care in hospice, community, and hospital. Deb is now an academic and researcher and is an active member of the Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying.