myCSUSM
COURSE DETAILS
Course Length: 12 Weeks
Effort: 5-6 Hours/Week
Format: Instructor-led, Online
Cost: $1,595
Hours: 72.5 CME
Discipline(s): Physicians/PAs/NPs
Overview
This course is also appropriate for APPs in any setting.
Designed for physician assistants (PAs), this innovative online palliative care course delivers the latest, evidence-based content to enhance your practice and deliver the best care to individuals with serious illnesses.Payment plan available!
Ask about our no credit check, no interest payment plan. Contact us or call 760-750-7288 today to learn more.
Palliative Training for Physician Assistants
PAs are a natural fit for providing hospice and palliative care. They work as trusted clinicians to deliver compassionate care to patients and families at every stage of health, including serious illness. Delivering care focused on addressing the physical and psychosocial symptoms of serious illness requires a deeper level of training. This 12-week course prepares PAs in any practice setting to deliver high-quality palliative care to individuals with chronic or advanced illnesses. An innovative format combines comprehensive self-paced didactic content with weekly live-online Grand Rounds sessions for case presentations and discussion. (Students must attend at least 9 of 12 live sessions to earn CME.)
Questions? Contact us at (760) 750-4006
What You'll Learn
- Identify patients who need and could benefit from palliative care
- Communicate with seriously ill patients about their disease trajectory, using prognostication tools and resources
- Assess and treat the most common physical symptoms of serious disease, including pain and nausea
- Identify spiritual and psychosocial distress and connect patients with community resources
- Recognize cultural differences and practice radical respect when treating patients with serious illness
- Integrate palliative care services into a primary care practice
- Establish billing processes and performance measures for palliative care services
- Use self-care strategies to build resilience and avoid burnout
- Weekly live "Grand Rounds" with fellow students and an expert PA instructor. Learn about the PA role in palliative care, real-life case studies, and engage in interactive discussions. (Grand Rounds are 90 min. Zoom sessions; students must attend at least 9 of 12 to earn CME; contact us to inquire about day/time.)
What You'll Earn
This activity has been reviewed by the American Academy of Physician Associates Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 72.5 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation. Approval is valid from 9/17/2026 to 12/20/2026. AAPA reference number: CME-2016148.
Who Should Enroll
Students enrolling in this course should be PAs in any specialty or practice area.
Completion and Refunds
Cancellations may be made up to the day before the first day of the course; a refund will be issued minus an administrative fee of $35. No refunds are possible for withdrawals once the course starts.
Meet the Faculty
- Ryan Baldeo, MPAS, MSPC, PA-C, FAAHPM
Hospice and Palliative Care Physician Assistant/Associate practicing at an academic medical center.
I am a practicing physician assistant in palliative care with experience in both community-based and academic medical centers. Through serendipitous experiences, I identified a passion at the crossroads of health literacy, socioeconomic status, cultural variability, and medical practice in the US, with specific passion in working with persons living with serious illness(es). While practicing as a PC PA, I have come across many obstacles, gaps, and roadblocks that serve as barriers to the delivery of specialty level PC for persons in need, which has expanded my passion to focus on enhancing infrastructure, business models, education, and research in the field with intent to positively impact the future landscape of PC in the US. As such, my professional goals are to develop and sustain initiatives in PC that will provide an infrastructure to support consistent high-quality PC specialty services to patients and loved ones in need.
Areas of Expertise: Cancer-associated pain, palliative care, symptom management, end-of-life care, hospice care, serious illness communication, transdisciplinary team, physician assistants, physician associates, researcher, educator, leadership
- Judy Knudson, MPAS, PA-C, BSN
Judy Knudson, MPAS, PA-C, BSN is a palliative medicine provider with more than 20 years of palliative care experience. She currently works for a community care agency that provides in-home palliative, hospice, and PACE care to individuals and their families. Judy works for the palliative care service and is on rotation for hospice services, covering both inpatient and outpatient care.
Judy has demonstrated leadership in her various employment roles. She started a palliative care service in the VA that was copied and expanded to eight other VAs in the Midwest region of the U.S. Judy continues to be energized by bringing quality care to others, especially those facing significant, serious illness.
- Jeff Myers, MPH, MMSc, PA-C, CAQ-PMHC, DFAAPA, FAAHPMJeff Myers has a background that started initially in rural primary care, making his start in southern Oregon after graduating from the PA Program at Emory University in 2007. After several years in southern Oregon, Jeff joined the inpatient Palliative Care team at OHSU in 2013. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Palliative Medicine and PA on the Adult OHSU Inpatient Palliative Medicine Team. Jeff is passionate about helping patients and families navigate serious illness and believes all clinicians have a role in shaping a family’s end-of-life experience and narrative.
Testimonials
The CSU course really helped me create a foundation for my Palliative Care Education. From learning about what palliative care means, to managing symptoms and developing skills for difficult conversations, this course covered a wide variety of topics. Each lecturer's personal background also enhanced Grand Rounds each week. They created robust discussions with my cohort who came from a variety of backgrounds. I found great value in not only the course but my colleagues experiences and perspectives.
I found the palliative course for PA's to be incredibly valuable. The education on communication alone can be valuable to providers working in a number of various specialties. There were not yet palliative teams at the hospitals I worked at, so being able to have difficult conversations with patient and ensure their goals of care are followed is critical.
Last autumn after finishing the course I was able to get job shadowing at a hospice IPU.
I just started my employment with that organization this week in a palliative/hospice hybrid role. I have no doubt that this course enabled me to get my foot in the door for job shadowing. Here, one year after I started the course, I am now employed in this field! Thank you!
In Partnership with CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care
In collaboration with the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, an institute of the California State University, we offer cutting-edge palliative care education. For over a decade, the Institute has empowered healthcare professionals across diverse healthcare settings with high-quality palliative care programs. Through an advanced online platform, these programs cater to the unique needs of organizations, ensuring top-tier instruction and support for current and future healthcare professionals as well as the community.
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