Essential Pain Management (EPM): Using a Palliative Approach: Winter 2025 (Feb 17) - Online

Eligibility Criteria/Pre-requisites

EPM has been designed to benefit and appeal to all classes of nurses who care for adults living with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses. EPM is designed to allow you to set your own learning pace as you enhance foundational knowledge, interact with evidence-informed tools and resources to complete case-based activities, and engage in one or more coaching sessions designed to be responsive to your individual pain-related learning needs.

Why EPM

• Peer-reviewed, evidence-informed and up-to-date course content
• Facilitation and mentorship by experienced local palliative care nurse consultants
• Successful completion of EPM prepares learners to meet the palliative care competencies for Nurses as outlined in the Ontario Palliative Care Competency Framework and Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework.

Course Overview

Local palliative nurse consultants work with EPM learners to provide foundational knowledge and skills in pain assessment, management and evaluation from a palliative care approach. The focus of the course is on the Pharmacological Management of Pain which can then be applied to practice. You will have a minimum of six weeks to complete the course.

This program includes up-to-date, best practice and evidence-informed palliative care knowledge, utilizing the innovative Partnering for Palliative Education learning environment, powered by D2L Brightspace.

You will be required to use a computer, tablet, or smart phone with a microphone & camera to allow for two-way communication between coaches and peers.

Course Details

 Please review:

• EPM Content & Objectives
• Technology Requirements

The EPM course is broken down into the following components:

Level 1 - Effective Pain Management (EPM) Course (Total: 18 hrs)

• Getting Started module (+ quiz*)
• Foundational modules (+ quizzes*):
  1 : Laying the Foundation
  2: Understanding Pain
  3: Assessment
  4: Approaches to Pain Management
• EPM Coaching Session to target learner-specific needs
• Multiple Case-based, Interactive Activities to practice tools and approaches
• Multiple Self-checks to help test learner understanding

To receive an EPM certificate, learners must:

• Complete EPM modules and quizzes
• Attend one, 90-minute EPM coaching session

Notes:

*Learners must achieve a score of 100% (unlimited attempts) on each module quiz to see the content of the next available module

Following completion of Level 1 - EPM, learners will have automatic access to the online AMP Preparation module to explore advanced pain management.

Level 2 - Advanced Approaches to Management Pain (AMP) Preparation (Total: 5 hrs

• AMP Preparation Module (+ quiz * ) - The AMP module provides a more in-depth look at equianalgesia and explores additional information on the application of pain management principles to specific skills and pain scenarios including: 
  • Titration of Breakthrough Doses (BTD)
  • Opioid Rotation
  • Pain from Bony Metastases
  • Incident Pain Management  
  • Intractable Pain
  • Interventional Approaches 

Following successful completion of the AMP Preparation module, and the AMP module quiz, learners will earn their AMP Preparation badge. At that learners will be invited to register for the 3-hour, online AMP coaching session. 

• AMP Coaching Session (3 hours) with case-based activities for skills practice

To receive an AMP certificate, you must:

• Complete the AMP Preparation module and quiz
• Attend one 3-hour AMP coaching session 

Available EPM Course 

Winter 2025 Online 

Course Cost: $0

Course Start Date: Feb 17 2025 

• Learners interact with peers/coaches via two-way communication on Zoom
• All coursework & materials are provided online
• Login details for the learning platform will be sent to you on the official course start date or within one business day of registering for the course if after the course start date.

Coaching sessions begin Mar 17, 2025. You must have all of your course work completed before attending a Coaching Session.   Once logged into the EPM course, learners will be able to see available dates in the course calendar

Course work must be completed by:

• Level 1 EPM - June 11, 2025
• Level 2 AMP - June 25, 2025

For more information, please contact hpcinfo@hospicewaterloo.ca