The Interdisciplinary Team: Key Skills for Hospice Managers

A Level II Online Module

October 14 – November 11, 2013 (4 weeks)

This Level II module of NHPCO’s Hospice Manager Development Program is a four-week online learning module. 

Module Description

Visit any hospice website and you will see at least one thing that is consistent in marketing materials: hospice care is provided by an interdisciplinary team. This is true because the values that underlie hospice insist that quality care focus on the “multi-dimensions” of living and dying. Enter the manager! Skillful and well coordinated teams require strong leaders. A manager’s ability to move teams through various stages of development, positive problem solving, and effective team meetings requires vision and expertise. Maintaining focus on patient/family-centered plans of care is yet another set of critical skills for managers. This MDP Level II module will provide “key skills for hospice managers” who share the belief that the interdisciplinary team can make or break exceptional care.

Module Objectives

Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:

• Define the term “interdisciplinary” as it applies to end-of-life care teams;
• List key Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) as they apply to the functioning of the interdisciplinary team;
• Describe what makes a team effective including the expectations of both the leader and the team members and assess which of these characteristics are currently present in your team and which are needed to take your team to the next level;
• Complete an initial assessment of your team meeting to define which tools are needed to produce concrete changes in the effectiveness, efficiency and effortlessness of the team meeting process;
• Apply critical leadership skills to typical team leadership obstacles;
• Develop a summary of the “ideal” team.

Module Structure

The module will be instructor-facilitated and will be conducted online over a period of four weeks. During this time you will read online articles, develop solutions to specific situations, and take part in ongoing online discussions.  You can expect to spend 2 – 4 hours per week in these activities.

Participants will determine their own schedules for completing the course work; online learning does not require that you be in a classroom at a set time, which is a perfect arrangement for busy hospice managers! Completion of the module does require, however, that you participate in weekly assignments and post them by designated dates.

Faculty: Christin (Coco) O’Shaughnessy, MSW

Christin (Coco) O’Shaughnessy currently works as a consultant to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).  She previously was the Consumer Programs and Services Director at NHPCO, and oversaw the Consumer Services Center, which provides support and resources to consumers and professionals regarding end-of-life care issues. She developed end-of-life and caregiving content for consumer materials and managed partnerships with external organizations which included end-of-life trainings for professionals.   Prior to joining NHPCO in 2003, she was a hospice social worker at Cedar Valley Hospice for five years and before that, a social worker in long-term care, at both assisted living and nursing facilities.  Coco has been working in end-of-life care for over 15 years and enjoys focusing on consumer and professional outreach and education.

Module Requirements

A minimum of 75% participation in module assignments is required for successful completion toward the Level II Designation of the Hospice Manager Development Program. Nurses and social workers desiring continuing education credit must complete 100% of the module assignments to be awarded continuing education credit.

All module participants must complete and pass the final test with a score of 80% or higher for successful completion of the module for the Hospice MDP and for continuing education credit for nurses and social workers.

Continuing Education:

Continuing education credit is available for nurses and social workers who complete this module and pay required fees (see Module Fees) for continuing education.

Nurse: NHPCO is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. NHPCO designates this activity for a maximum of 8 contact hours.  Nurses should claim only the contact hours commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Accredited status by ANCC refers only to continuing nursing education and does not imply endorsement of any commercial product discussed in conjunction with this activity. 

Social Worker: This module has been approved for social workers by the National Association of Social Workers (provider number 886414158) for 8 continuing education hours for social workers who complete 100% of all module assignments.

Module Fees:

The module fee is $95. There is an additional $25 fee for nurses and social workers requesting continuing education credit.

Registration Cancellation Policy

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to conferences@nhpco.org. A $25 processing fee will apply to all cancellations. Cancellations made on the day the module starts or afterward are not eligible for a refund.

Register Online