A master's degree jointly sponsored by UCBM and by the University of Rome Tor Vergata in collaboration with Antea Onlus

MODE

Part time

ATTENDANCE

80% lessons

100% internship

training

BROCHURE

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I level University Master's degree in "Palliative Care and Pain Therapy" for the health professions (nurses, pediatric nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists).

Healthcare professionals will have to deepen the skills acquired in the first level degree course to achieve a high degree of mastery of professional action in order to guarantee high levels of care quality and rehabilitation/occupational therapy interventions for elderly/adult/inpatients developmental age (infant - child - adolescent) with chronic developmental diseases and/or with chronic pain, respecting their dignity and their autonomy.

The Master is established pursuant to paragraph 1, art. 8 of law 15 March 2010, n.38 (Provisions to guarantee access to Palliative Care and Pain Therapy) and ministerial decree n.509/1999.

Recipients and access requirements

The master's degree is reserved for healthcare professionals in possession of a first-level degree in the healthcare area in Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy or an equivalent qualification. 

The Master's Scientific Committee may decide, on the basis of the individual candidate's curriculum, a reduction of the credits necessary to obtain the degree for the following candidates:

  • nurses, pediatric nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists with at least five years of documented experience in the field of palliative care and pain therapy in residential (hospice-type) and/or home care facilities, included in the palliative care and pain therapy care network.
  • nurses, pediatric nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists who have already obtained a university master's degree in palliative care and pain therapy. 

Educational objectives

As part of their specific role, the nurse/pediatric nurse will have to progress in:

  • Communicative-relational skills aimed at effective communication with the patient, family and team; respect for the dignity and will of the patient; respect for the individual, cultural and spiritual diversity of patients and families; to the development of continuity of care in dynamic and complex healthcare contexts;
  • Clinical skills aimed at assessing physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs, at using specific tools for assessing acute and chronic pain and quality of life; the care management of chronic pain and the symptoms of chronic-evolutionary diseases; to information and therapeutic education of the patient and his family; the evaluation of the impact of traditional and complementary therapies for symptom control; the application of the rules of good clinical practice; compliance with ethical and legal principles in the management of complex end-of-life and pain situations;
  • Psychosocial skills aimed at activating internal and external resources for the patient and his family; to support patients, families and colleagues in suffering and mourning;
  • Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams;
  • Ability to handle ethical issues related to end of life and chronic pain.

As part of his specific role, the physiotherapist / occupational therapist will have to progress in:

  • Communicative-relational skills aimed at effectively managing communication and the relationship with the patient, the family, the team; respect for the dignity and will of the patient; respect for the individual, cultural and spiritual diversity of patients and families; the development of continuity of care in dynamic and complex healthcare contexts;
  • Clinical skills aimed at identifying and verifying the significance of the rehabilitation/occupational intervention in the patient with chronic evolutionary diseases and in the patient with chronic pain; to develop rehabilitation/employment projects that take into account how to control the specific symptoms of the disease, how to manage disabilities, how to guarantee quality of life and maximum social participation, to respect ethical and legal principles in the management of the complex situations of the end life and chronic pain;
  • Psychosocial skills aimed at recognizing and activating internal and external resources for the patient and his family; to optimize the conditions of the living environment;
  • Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams;
  • Ability to handle ethical issues related to end of life and chronic pain.

Final profile

The Master is an advanced training course that aims to train healthcare professionals with specific skills in the field of palliative care and pain therapy, who must be able to manage global, high-quality care strategies aimed at:

  • the care of the person affected by a chronic-evolutionary pathology for which there are no therapies or, if they exist, they are inadequate or ineffective for the purposes of stabilizing the disease itself or for significantly prolonging life;
  • the care of the person suffering from a moderate to severe acute and chronic pain pathology.

Didactic structure

The training course lasts 18 months and guarantees the acquisition of 60 credits. 

The didactic structure of the Master was designed in compliance with the Decree of 4 April 2012 relating to the Institution of the University Master of Higher Education and Qualification in «Palliative care» for health professions (GU General Series n. 89 of 16 April 2012).

The training course is divided into 7 main areas:

  • History and philosophy of palliative care and pain therapy
  • Evaluation and management of symptoms in the child
  • Assessment and management of symptoms in adults and the elderly
  • Pain management in adults, the elderly and children
  • Networks in palliative care and pain management
  • Team
  • Family and volunteering

The course is structured in multidisciplinary thematic modules which include integrated forms of classroom activities (lectures, small group activities, role playing, seminars), laboratory and internship experiences, distance learning and individual learning. The course includes interprofessional modules, created with the Master of Advanced Training in Palliative Care for doctors, with the use of active methodologies such as Problem Based Learning (PBL).

Internship

The internship includes the following activities:

  • assessment of assistance/rehabilitation needs in at least 20 patients in Palliative Care;
  • assessment of chronic pain in at least 20 patients;
  • choice of assistance/rehabilitation strategies in at least 20 patients in Palliative Care;
  • choice of care/rehabilitation strategies in at least 10 patients with chronic pain;
  • realization of support and information interviews with at least 10 family members and/or
  • significant persons of patients in Palliative Care.

To carry out the internship it will be necessary to have medical fitness with the possibility of carrying out visits and tests directly at the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital (cost of the tests to be paid by the participant).

Scholarships covering

Discounted rates are provided for the staff of the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital. In this case, the amount of each installment is €1.000 each, for a total of €2.000 instead of €2.300.

Title awarded

Participants who complete the Master's and are in compliance with the administrative obligations will be awarded the title of joint University Master's level I in "Palliative Care and Pain Therapy" for the health professions.

CME credit exemption: Decision of the CNFC of 17 July 2013 on the subject of "Exemptions, Waivers, Individual Tutoring, Training Abroad, Self-learning, Registration Methods and Certification".