Hospice Care is a field that focuses on patient comfort by reducing the severity of symptoms in severely ill patients. The term hospice care is also referred to as palliative care which is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as �the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment�. This term includes life-threatening and terminal illnesses as well as chronic diseases including cancer, neurological conditions, end stage renal disease, and chronic heart failure.

Hospice care is provided by a team of healthcare professionals including physicians, registered nurses, therapists, hospice chaplains, hospice managers, social workers, personal aides, and volunteers. Training for these professions ranges from some coursework to extensive training as a physician or therapist. Most hospice care is provided in the patients� homes, or in long-term care facilities, while some hospice care is provided in acute care hospitals. The first hospice care center in the US opened over thirty years ago, and there are now over 3000 hospice care centers nationwide.

Hospice Certification

While volunteers are not required to be licensed to work in a hospice care setting, certification is available through the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC). Nurses, therapists, and physicians are all subject to examination and board certification pursuant to their career path. Physicians are able to receive board certification from the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine upon completion of education and examination requirements.

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Hospice Care Training Programs

Depending on the level of specialty for a chosen career in hospice care, training programs are quite different. In order to treat patients in hospice care, it is important to be trained in related medical subjects. Volunteers and assistants may focus their training on promoting the well being and spiritual or psychological comfort. Volunteers and health aides are typically given on-site training, while other locations require some formal training. Physicians, therapists, and other advanced healthcare professional can choose to focus on the physical treatment of hospice patients by focusing on specific ailments. Training may include nursing or medical school education, as well as required internships. Search HealthCare-TrainingCenter.com for available courses in your area.

Hospice Care Training Prerequisites

Depending on the chosen career in hospice care, training prerequisites vary greatly. Volunteers need little background in order to train for assisting in a hospice care center. Hospice chaplains must go through an educational program administered by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education which sets its own prerequisites. Registered Nurses, other nursing professionals, and assistants are subject to nursing school training.

Therapists, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and complimentary therapists are subject to examination, several years of advanced training and board certification. Physicians also are required to complete several years of advanced training, examination, and certification. Physicians, therapists, and nurses may focus on a number of specialties to provide hospice care including geriatrics, oncology, pulmonology, cardiology, and more.

Hospice Care Continuing Education

Medical certification boards require that healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, and therapists, maintain certification through continued education courses. These courses help hospice workers stay current with changing information and regulations in the field of hospice care. Search HealthCare-TrainingCenter.com to find continued education courses for Hospice Care professionals. Search HealthCare-TrainingCenter.com to find continued education courses for Hospice Care.