Hospice Training for Nursing Facility Staff

VNS Health makes training modules available to nursing homes and hospices.

VNS Health Hospice Care has developed training modules to orient clinical staff at skilled nursing facilities. Topics cover collaboration and coordination of care between VNS Health and the SNF, as well as the hospice philosophy, methods of pain control, symptom management, and principles of death and dying.

About the Training Modules

• Each module will take 30-40 minutes to complete.
• Each training ends with a five-question quiz on the key concepts covered.
• At the end of each training, you will be prompted to print a certificate of completion to submit to your manager or HR team.

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Skilled Nursing Facility & Hospice Care, Coordination, and Communication

This module covers:

• The hospice’s regulatory responsibility for the professional management of a hospice patient who resides in a skilled nursing facility
• Requirements and processes for the joint development of the patient’s plan of care
• The coordination and collaboration between hospice and SNF
• Requirement for education of hospice and SNF staff

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Hospice Philosophy, Care, and Services

This module covers:

• The hospice philosophy of care
• The rights of patients and families on hospice
• The services provided by hospice per the Medicare hospice benefit
• Medicare hospice eligibility criteria

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Pain Management at End of Life

This module covers:

• The definition and description of pain and suffering at end of life
• The etiologies of pain and the assessment and communication of pain
• Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management interventions

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Symptom Management at End of Life

This module covers:

• The assessment of symptoms commonly experienced at end-of-life
• Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for these symptoms

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Providing Care When Death Is Imminent

This module covers:

• Key needs of a dying person, dying trajectories, and signs and symptoms of imminent death
• The interventions to support the patient and family as patient nears the end-of-life