The way we communicate during end-of-life care is VERY different from the way we communicate with clients daily. We must learn this “new language” to better serve families on a pet owner's most difficult day.

This course was designed to help you develop your hospice and end-of-life care communication skills. Compassionate communication improves the end-of-life care experience for the patient, the family, and the care provider.

The Art of Hospice and End-of-Life Care Communication course covers the following subjects:

• How judging a family's hospice or end-of-life care decision creates massive communication barriers and increases our risk for burden transfer and burnout.
• Core communication skills.
• How to convey compassion as you communicate with a grieving family.
• Phone and email communication etiquette surrounding hospice and end-of-life care.
• The do’s and don'ts of hospice and end-of-life care communication
• The role body language plays in end-of-life care communication and the do’s and don'ts of body language.
• Strategies for navigating hospice and end-of-life care communication challenges.

One of the biggest struggles a family has as their beloved pet approaches the end of their life is knowing when it's time. The veterinary team's responsibility is to empower families with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to monitor their pet’s comfort and overall quality of life.

This course is designed to equip RVTs with the knowledge and skills to deliver world-class quality-of-life consultations and follow-up schedules that empower families to monitor their terminally ill pet’s quality of life. You will also review helpful hospice modalities, including Pain Holidays, Comfort Kits, and more.

The Art of Delivering a Quality-of-Life Consultation course covers the following subjects:

• What is a quality-of-life assessment and how to deliver one.
• How to use quality of life scales.
• The importance of having a family track their pet’s good days and bad days on a calendar.
• Helping families use a pain scale.
• The importance of quality over quantity.
• Follow-up schedules for hospice patients
• Hospice modalities: Pain Holidays, Comfort Kits, and Nebulization.
• Creating a bucket list.
• Helpful resources for a grieving family.

Families now have higher expectations for their pet's end-of-life care experience.
This course is designed to help you navigate the challenges that arise during end-of-life care appointments and improve the experience for the patient, the family, and yourself.

The Art of Navigating Hospice and End-of-Life Care Challenges course covers the following subjects:

• What to do when a family can’t let go.
• How to create a meaningful hospice experience.
• End-of-life care sedation basics.
• The difference an excellent sedation protocol makes for the patient, family, and care provider.
• Examples of end-of-life care sedation protocols.
• Tips and tricks for reducing fear and discomfort.
• The secret to achieving muzzle-free end-of-life care.
• Tips and tricks for handling aggressive, sensitive, and fearful patients.
• Common reasons a patient won't fall asleep and what to do.
• Handling seizures that occur before catheter placement.
• Keys to helping respiratory distress patients fall asleep.
• Edema in the limbs.
• What to do when you can't secure a vein.
• How to administer intra-organ injections.
• Respectful body handling.