• University of Glasgow

End of Life Challenges and Palliative Care

This course addresses the need for additional skills in postgraduate training surrounding palliative and end of life care.

image of a bridge with spiral architecture around it
  • Duration

    10 weeks
  • Weekly study

    10 hours
This course is part of the End of Life Challenges and Palliative Care program, which will enable you to take an interdisciplinary approach to palliative care and end of life issues.

This programme of study is approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK for 50 CPD Credits. Students will develop a greater capacity to understand and discuss dying, death, and bereavement from an interdisciplinary perspective. They will enhance their communication skills via engaging and professionally-relevant formats. Finally, this course will help students to critically assess the development of palliative care while considering the issues surrounding end of life care, their social and cultural needs and values, and learn how to address and respond to these issues.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 2 seconds The end of Life Studies Group at the University of Glasgow, partnering with the distinguished Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, are bringing you a fully online micro credential like no other. Bringing together perspectives from the social sciences, humanities and the clinical disciplines, this course will foster critical and interdisciplinary approaches that encourage new ways of thinking about end of life issues. And go beyond current perspectives. You will study career advancing topics like the complexities of diagnosing dying, dementia, frailty and realistic medicine, historical and contemporary approaches to the treatment of pain, assisted dying, and theories of grief.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds You will take new learning into your job, gain new personal insights, and become more critically aware of the end of life challenges faced around the world. Working on the future Learn Online learning platform. You will have access to carefully selected written film and podcast content, academic publications and most importantly to your educators expertise and deep insights, all completely online. Whatever your specialism motivational goal, we look forward to joining you on this exciting microcredential at the University of Glasgow.

What topics will you cover?

  • Global mapping of palliative care
  • Theories of pain
  • Total pain
  • Public health and palliative care
  • Historical and cultural expectations of ageing and dying
  • Old age-embodment, subjectivity and narrative
  • Dying in old age
  • Dementia
  • COVID-19 and Care Homes
  • Assisted dying

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the ways in which dying can be regarded as a social process as much as a biological event
  • Explain the global spread of palliative care and articulate its core concerns and challenges
  • Identify new and emerging responses to contemporary dying, death, and bereavement
  • Reflect critically on and apply an interdisciplinary perspective to the student’s professional practice or personal experience

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone with undergraduate degree or equivalent professional and/or industry experience. It’s designed for those working in healthcare, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and other health and social care professionals. It will also be of interest to practitioners, students, researchers, volunteers, and policymakers in end of life care.

What software or tools do you need?

To take part in this course you will need access to a computer and the internet.

Who will you learn with?

I am Senior Lecturer in Social Science and Director of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group. I am a social and visual anthropologist and specialise in cultural aspects of ageing and dying.

Who developed the course?

The University of Glasgow

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities.

  • Established

    1451
  • Location

    Glasgow, Scotland, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 70Source: QS World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn