Palliative Care

Deliver exceptional services and quality of care for people who are at the end of life, as well as the carers and families beside them.

Study Options

Why Flinders?

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Why advance your career in Palliative Care?

Palliative care makes a difference when it matters most.

Throughout their career, every health professional will care for people who are dying and will be required to draw on clinical skills to provide excellent palliative and end-of-life care.

End of life care is the responsibility of health professionals working across all areas of health services, including acute hospitals, community services, aged care, and palliative care.

Develop your clinical practice to become better prepared to provide care for a dying patient and their carers. Treat symptoms, manage daily tasks, provide rehabilitation, and offer support to help optimise the quality of life for people – young and old – who are living with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.

Build the knowledge and skills required to become a palliative care specialist, or undertake research or quality assurance projects focused on improving the delivery of palliative care.

Study Options

Palliative Care Short Courses

Postgraduate Palliative Care

No.1 in SA
for overall experience, skills development and teaching quality

(The Good Universities Guide 2024 (postgraduate), public SA-founded universities only)

No.1 in SA
for learner engagement, learning resources, overall experience, skills development, student support and teaching quality

(The Good Universities Guide 2024 (undergraduate), public SA-founded universities only)

Ranked in the top 2%

of the universities in the world

(The World University Rankings 2023 as a percentage of the total number of universities in the world according to the International Association of Universities)

Why study at Flinders?

Connect with industry leaders

Flinders University Palliative and Supportive Services are leaders in palliative care and end-of-life care. We have strong collaborations with state and national governments, as well as with clinical service providers. We are also responsible for several highly successful national projects and work with government and industry to improve health and end-of-life care for all Australians.
Our palliative care teaching team comprises experienced nurses, allied health professionals, and research leaders in a variety of areas. Many of our casual teaching staff are doctors, nurses and allied health professionals and are located across Australia working in diverse roles and contributing vastly to our topics.
Teaching team members hold positions on various state and national committees related to palliative and end-of-life care. As individuals, we are also members of Palliative Care Australia, Palliative Care SA, Australian Allied Health in Palliative Care and Palliative Care Nurses Australia.
We are a member of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, a global platform that informs and empowers individuals, governments and organisations to increase access and optimise the practice of palliative care.

Extend your skillset to enhance your clinical practice

Deepen your knowledge base and skills required for practice in palliative care within a global context. Our palliative care courses give professionals from any health discipline the opportunity to extend their knowledge base on which their practice is grounded.
Topics covered in the palliative care courses are relevant to your immediate and potential future professional needs. The topic offerings are wide and varied to suit your interests and deliver knowledge and skills for palliative care practice across the lifespan.
Build the skills and knowledge in areas such as communication at end of life, oncology for palliative care, palliative care in aged care settings, understanding cancer, clinical management, palliative care in Indigenous populations, and paediatric palliative care.
We take an interdisciplinary approach to our learning that appreciates diverse professional perspectives. This reflects the multidisciplinary nature of teams who care for people at the end of life.

Enjoy a supportive, student-centred learning environment

Our palliative care courses have flexible delivery modes to work around your work and life schedules. Study 100% online, full-time or part-time. Some of our topics are also offered internally on campus.
Our expert teaching staff have substantial experience in online teaching methods.
Our cohorts include students from around Australia and overseas, meaning you can potentially share an online learning environment with people from around the globe.

Be equipped with knowledge of the latest evidence-based practice

Several of our teaching staff are also active researchers who are nationally and internationally recognised in the field of end-of-life care and palliative care.
Our researchers are engaged in a highly collaborative research culture in the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD). This is led by Professor Jennifer Tieman, Director and a Matthew Flinders Fellow. The centre’s research contributes to the translation of palliative care evidence for use by health professionals and by patients, carers and families.
Students have the opportunity to develop research skills and progress from coursework to higher degree by research through learning pathways that cater for clinicians with and without honours degrees

Get inspired

Learn about Palliative Care at Flinders with Associate Professor Kim Devery.

Improving care at the end of life is everyone's business

Embedding end of life care into the usual practice of all healthcare professionals in acute hospitals is a goal of Flinders palliative care graduate Alison Hession.

Santanu leads palliative care movement

Until 2002 ‘palliative care’ was unheard of in North Eastern India but as a result of personal tragedy, Santanu Chakraborty (GradCertHlth ’08) has been leading a movement to create awareness and establish palliative care services in the region.

Palliative care leader makes her mark on world stage

Maite Uribe (BNg(PreReg) ’12, GradCertPallCare ’17, MNursPrac ’22) says her career has already been full of rewarding experiences, including working in the United States at the height of the pandemic.

Teaching staff

Our incredible teaching and research staff are experts in their professions and well-connected to industry.

Academic Lead, Palliative Care – Dr Deidre Morgan

As an occupational therapist with 25 years clinical experience, Deidre has an in-depth understanding of the public health system and the value and importance of clinical research that informs practical patient care. Her clinical and research focus is in palliative care and she has a particular interest in ways to optimise function at the end of life. Deidre topic coordinates the Master of Palliative care research topics, supporting students to conduct clinically relevant research. Deidre is an inaugural member of the Flinders University Research Centre in Palliative Care, Death and Dying and the founding chair of Australian Allied Health in Palliative Care (AAHPC).

Course Coordinator, Palliative Care – Dr Caroline Phelan

Caroline is a Lecturer in Ageing and Palliative Care. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including intensive care, adult and paediatric hospitals, community and outpatient clinics. She has been active in interdisciplinary research with health practitioners and scientists across medicine, nursing and allied health disciplines. Caroline is a member of the Flinders Research Centre for Palliative Care Death & Dying.