EMSV2070 Palliative Care for Paramedics
This course prepares community paramedics to deliver compassionate, patient-centered palliative care in home and community settings. Designed for prehospital clinicians working with patients who have serious, chronic, or life-limiting illnesses, the course emphasizes practical skills that align with the community paramedicine role—supporting comfort, dignity, and quality of life while reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
Participants will explore the principles of palliative care, including symptom assessment and management (pain, dyspnea, nausea, anxiety), goals-of-care conversations, and psychosocial and spiritual support. The course also addresses advance care planning, POLST/DNR interpretation, ethical and legal considerations, and effective communication with patients, families, hospice teams, and primary care providers.
Prerequisite
Qualifying score on reading assessment test or
ENGL0921
Course Requirements and Evaluation
Refer to Course Syllabus for detailed information regarding the requirements and evaluation standards for this course. The Course Syllabus will be distributed the first week of the course.
Learning Outcomes
The following outcomes will be addressed in the course:
Define the principles and goals of palliative care within community paramedicine practice
Identify patients who may benefit from a palliative approach across disease trajectories
Assess physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of palliative patients
Manage common palliative symptoms within scope of practice, including pain and dyspnea
Recognize signs of clinical decline and active dying
Communicate effectively with patients and families regarding goals of care
Demonstrate empathetic, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed communication
Interpret advance directives, POLST/MOLST forms, and DNR/DNI orders
Apply ethical and legal principles related to end-of-life decision-making
Advocate for patient preferences and goals during care encounters
Coordinate care with hospice, primary care, and interdisciplinary teams
Support caregivers through education, reassurance, and resource referral
Manage palliative crises in the home while minimizing unnecessary transport
Document palliative care encounters accurately to support continuity of care
Evaluate personal stress, compassion fatigue, and moral distress related to palliative work
Implement self-care and resilience strategies to sustain professional well-being
Text and References
A list of textbooks required for this course is available at the
campus store and in eServices.
Course Scheduling
The scheduled hours of instruction include sixteen hours for each lecture credit, thirty-two hours for each lab credit, and forty hours for each credit of supervised occupational experience (SOE). Lecture credit may include formal or impromptu lectures, demonstrations, or discussions with the entire class or with small groups or individuals. Refer to the Course Credits section of this course outline for the credit breakdown.
Accommodations Statement
Access Services - Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified students with documented disabilities. Upon attending an intake meeting with Access Services, qualified students will receive a letter listing the approved accommodations that they may provide to their instructors. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, contact HTC Access Services at
AccessServices@hennepintech.edu or
https://hennepintech.edu/current-students/access-services/index.html.
Campus
Brooklyn Park Campus and Eden Prairie Campus: 952-995-1300
Credit Details