Professional Education
Hospice of Central Iowa offers resources and continuing education opportunities:

• for physicians
• for nurses, home health aides and hospice aides
• for social workers
• for spiritual care providers
• for bereavement counselors
• for nursing care facilities

Hospice of Central Iowa is committed to providing health care professionals with resources and knowledge to help them understand the needs of terminally-ill people.  The Hospice of Central Iowa Institute is a professional outreach arm of our organization.  The Institute offers continuing education opportunities on hospice-related issues to health care professionals.  In addition, the Institute educates the public on end-of-life issues and participates in pertinent research activities.

The Institute offers several educational conferences for healthcare professionals throughout the year.  For detailed information about upcoming conferences, please contact Mary Hall, Hospice of Central Iowa Institute Coordinator, at (515) 271-1310.

Inservice Topics
If you would like to arrange an inservice for a group of healthcare professionals, the following topics are available.  Contact Cheryl Berg at (515) 333-4254.

• Bereavement - providing support for individuals experiencing the grief process
• Death and Dying - the care needs of dying patients and their families.
• Hospice Care - the philosophy and goals of patient and family care in hospice
• Non-Cancer Diagnosis Referrals - appropriate referral of patients with non-cancer diagnoses
• Pain Management - current information on pain management for hospice patients  
• Pain Management in Long-Term Care - practical guidelines for nursing staff on recognizing and assessing pain in residents of long-term care facilities, including the cognitively impaired
• Spirituality and the Terminally-ill Patient and Family - the spiritual needs of the dying patient and their family

Providing quality end-of-life care takes specialized knowledge.  Hospice of Central Iowa offers courses and programs taught by professionals certified by the:

• American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 
• Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association    
• Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care   
• End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium  

For Physicians
Physician Resource Manual
Hospice of Central Iowa has physician resource manuals available that address Hospice of Central Iowa services, referrals, diagnosis guidelines, levels of care and financial coverage. There are also worksheets in the manual, which act as a quick reference guide for helping professionals determine hospice appropriate patients, including sheets that address non-cancer diagnosis, such as, liver, pulmonary and heart disease, stroke, dementia and HIV. To receive a resource manual, please e-mail your request to info@hospiceofcentraliowa.org.