Education
Courses and Programs
PEPA (Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach)
The Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) is designed to improve the skills, confidence and expertise of health practitioners who care for people who are dying and their families. This includes general practitioners, nurses, allied health and Aboriginal health workers. PEPA has three core components:
- supervised clinical placements that build workforce capacity and enhance links between specialist and generalist health care professionals
- workshops that provide an introduction to the palliative approach
- post placement support activities which provide professional development, networking and education opportunities.
Further information is available on the PEPA website.
Banksia Palliative Care
Banksia Palliative Care (Banksia) provides high quality palliative care education via our Learning Centre Team. Through our education sessions, we empower clinicians, and members of the community with specific, specialist palliative care knowledge. We believe that the more health professionals with capacity in this vital area, the more people who will receive the personalised care and treatment that will enable them to have dignity in death, whatever that looks like for that individual.
Our education is facilitated by highly trained and experienced Educators, with qualifications and expertise in all areas of palliative care.
Banksia works closely with a variety of organisations across Victoria to deliver vital education, including:
- Residential Aged Care Facilities and DHHS Supported Residential Services,
- Private and public health services,
- Councils,
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse community groups,
- Regional Palliative Care Consortiums.
Centre for Palliative Care
The Centre for Palliative Care is part of St. Vincent’s Hospital and is a Collaborative Centre of The University of Melbourne. It has a state-wide role in palliative care education and research in Victoria, with networks and collaborative projects extending nationally and internationally.
The Centre coordinates Professional Development Days for Registered Nurses; provides Postgraduate and Short Courses in Palliative Care; is involved in the Nurse Practitioner Collaborative and the Victorian Palliative Medicine Training Program; and facilitates the Palliative Care Research Network.
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Victoria
The 2022 MND Victoria Health Professionals Webinar Series will include the following:
Webinar 1: MND Phenotypes, February
Webinar 2: MND & Saliva Management, April
Webinar 3: MND & Physical Activity, June
Webinar 4: MND & Cognition, July
Webinar 5: MND & Neck Weakness, August
To register: MND Victoria – Event – MND Phenotypes | Health Professionals Webinar
End of Life Law for Clinicians
This training program for medical practitioners and students, nurses and allied and other health professionals focuses on the law relating to end of life decision-making.
Post Graduate Courses in Palliative Care (Nursing)
Monash University
This is Victoria’s only Post Graduate Offering for Specialist Palliative Care Nursing. Participants are encouraged to enroll in the Masters Program, but are eligible to exit early with a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing if the award requirements have been met.
Visit Monsah’s Webpage to see what you’ll learn in the Palliative and end of life care specialisation.
Flinders University
Palliative and supportive services at Flinders University provides distance courses that give professionals from any health discipline the opportunity to deepen the knowledge base on which their practice is grounded. Offering; Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, and Masters of Palliative Care.
Australian College of Nursing
Studying palliative care nursing with ACN will provide you with the principles of palliative care nursing in order to improve your knowledge and skills for the provision and coordination of evidenced based palliative care. The aim is to encourage professional and ethical understanding of clinical practice development for the improvement of patient outcomes. Offering; Graduate Certificate
Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) University of Melbourne
Nurse practitioners are clinical leaders responsible for direct clinical care, promoting evidence-based clinical practice, contributing to that evidence-base and leading service improvement. The Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) is an accredited course of study leading to endorsement as a nurse practitioner by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). It has been designed to support students to meet the Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice and is offered over two years part time. Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible for entry on the Australian Health Practitioner Register as an endorsed Nurse Practitioner.
Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) – The University of Melbourne
Post Graduate Scholarships for Loddon Mallee Clinicians 2025
Program Overview
The Loddon Mallee Regional Palliative Care Consortium is offering scholarships for health care professionals working in Palliative Care in the region.
Applications can be made to reimburse costs for post-graduate study in Palliative Care
Amount and Purpose
Scholarships will be awarded following an open, competitive process, with a total pool of $36,000 available, Individual scholarships will be valued at $4000 each.
Should there be insufficient applications for post-graduate scholarships, the remainder of the funds (up to $1500 per person) will be allocated to staff who wish to apply for grants to cover the costs associated with attending a Palliative Care-related conference (registration, travel and accommodation). Preference will be given to staff presenting at the conference.
This program assumes a shared cost model; the individual and the Loddon Mallee Regional Palliative Care Consortium contribute to the cost of undertaking the studies.
The applicant is required to contribute to the cost of their further learning and the scholarship will assist with tuition fees or travel associated with the education undertaken.
To apply please download the Scholarship Applicant Guidelines 2025-26:
Self-Paced Learning Resources
Novice to Advanced Practice Framework
The Novice to Advanced Practice Framework was created by Co-design involving managers and clinicians from Specialist Palliative Care Services from across Victoria.
The aims of the framework are to;
•Serve as a reliable guide for organisations to develop their staff through preceptorship and mentoring of community specialist palliative care nurses.
•Ensure uniformity and clarity in professional development, meeting the diverse needs of nurses entering the sector; and
•Enhance the development of nurses currently working in community palliative care
CareSearch – Palliative Care Knowledge Network
Recognising educational needs in palliative care and exploring learning options helps ensure the whole health and care workforce can provide appropriate care to people who are dying.
Education For:
- Health Professionals Options
- Educator and Manager Support
- Careworkers, Carers and Volunteers
- Whole of Workforce Framework
Palliative Care Bridge
The Palliative Care Bridge delivers innovative educational videos and resources on palliative care by respected experts and specialists in their fields. Their aim is to better equip users of the site to gain confidence and specialised knowledge in the delivery of appropriate palliative care to people in need.
End of Life Directions for Aged Care – ELDAC
ELDAC provides information, guidance, and resources to health professionals and aged care workers to support palliative care and advance care planning to improve the care of older Australians.
Essential elements of end of life care for Acute Services (Victorian Department of Health)
These resources are intended to assist acute health services to operationalise the National consensus statement: essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care.
It is a resource for boards, executives, managers and clinicians of all disciplines – and provides Palliative and End of life Care guidance for: