End of Life Care and Support, Career Pathway certificate
This certificate is designed to advance the knowledge and develop the skills of caregivers, aging services professionals, and family members in supporting persons approaching the end of life.
Why choose the End of Life Career Pathway certificate at PCC?
- Easy access (open start) and exit program.
- Online (asynchronous) format, with some optional in-person, live-streamed, and video-recorded class meetings.
- Applied, interactive learning format.
- Faculty expertise both inside the classroom and within the community.
Salary
- Healthcare Aids: $16.54 per hour or $34,421 per year
- Bereavement or Mental Health Counselors: $29.06 per hour or $60,435 per year
- Social Workers: $34.64 per hour or $72,067 per year
- Funeral Directors: $41.66 per hour or $86,657 per year
- Medical and Health Service Managers (Hospice Administrator): $58.19 per hour or $121,027 per year
Award information
Awards with a icon can be earned completely online, or you can choose a mix of online and on-campus classes.
Award | Length | Financial aid eligible | Currently accepting students? |
---|---|---|---|
Career Pathway Certificate: End of Life Care and Support | Less than 1 year |
Learn more about Gerontology and all 6 awards available »
What will you learn?
The courses in the End of Life Care and Support certificate train students to:
- Guide family members and dying persons through the end of life process, including social, psychological, medical, financial, legal, and spiritual issues related to care and support.
- Assess and document the care and support needs and assets of the dying person, their family, and social support network; communicate and collaborate with all related parties; and facilitate access to appropriate resources, while working with other professionals and with diverse stakeholders in a coordinated care and support plan, in hospice, long term care, and home environments.
- Apply best practices of person-centered and directed care and support, and adhere to professional and ethical standards in supporting the dying person and working effectively with all stakeholders, including legal, medical, financial, insurance, relevant government programs, and other professionals, as well as family and the dying person’s social support network.
Courses
Course listing for the 2020-2021 catalog year.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
GRN 181 | Exploring the Field of Aging | 2 |
GRN 233 | Supporting End of Life | 4 |
GRN 237 | End of Life Therapies | 1 |
or GRN 239 | End of Life Practices | |
GRN 240 | Care and Service Coordination | 3 |
GRN 245 | Introduction to Guardianship in Oregon | 1 |
GRN 247 | Applied Legal and Policy Issues in Aging | 2 |
GRN 280A | CE: Gerontology Internship 1 | 4 |
GRN 280B | Gerontology Internship Seminar | 1 |
GRN 282 | Gerontology Professional Seminar | 2 |
PHL 207 | Ethics and Aging | 4 |
SOC 223 | Sociology of Aging | 4 |
SOC 231 | Sociology of Health & Aging | 4 |
SOC 232 | Death and Dying: Culture and Issues | 4 |
or SOC 234 | Death: Crosscultural Perspectives | |
Total Credits | 36 |
1 | Certificate candidates who have related work experience with aging adults may petition to substitute one credit for every 70 hours worked toward the required internship credits, up to a total of three credits. |
What will you do?
End of Life certificate graduates qualify for professions and roles relating to the end of life either in entry-level positions, or in more advanced positions, depending on their prior professional training and experience, and/or academic degrees:
- Chaplains and spiritual counselors
- Funeral directors
- Insurance agents specializing in life and long-term care insurance
- Financial advisors
- Guardians and conservators
- Paralegals and lawyers providing elder law services
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Healthcare aides
- Resident assistants in care facilities
- Personal home care assistants
- Social workers
- Bereavement counselors
- Therapists working with massage, touch, art, music, pet, horticultural, environmental, and other modalities
- Hospice volunteer coordinators
- Hospice administrators
- End of life instructors
- End of life researchers
- Death doula (or midwife)
Next steps
Applying to PCC is free and only takes a few minutes.Apply now
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