The power and importance of spirituality in the delivery of health care is being supported through a new online learning opportunity available to all professionals and volunteers working in the health sector.

To raise the awareness of spiritual care and develop skills within the health workforce, Palliative Care Australia and Spiritual Health Association have collaborated on a series of free eLearning modules.

“Spiritual care connects to people’s meaning and purpose, and for some people that will relate to religious beliefs but for many people now its merging into a more universal space where people are looking for that sense of meaning and connection with what’s going on around them,” says Luke Bowen, Chair of Spiritual Health Association.

“In the context of palliative care, spiritual care really makes those life questions come forward and gives people a framework to explore them and reflect on what’s important in a way that makes sense.”

Health professionals and volunteers wanting to know more and develop their skills in this space are encouraged to start with ‘The Essence of Spiritual Care’ the first of four free eLearning modules.

Taking between 60 and 90 minutes to complete, at the end participants will be able to describe the principles of spiritual care in a healthcare context and demonstrate a capacity to use a variety of spiritual care interventions to support patients, families, colleagues, and themselves.

“Spiritual care is everybody’s business – we treat the whole person, we don’t just look at people as just livers, or arms, or hips, or eyes, we look at the whole person and that is the key message in this training,” Mr Bowen says.

Reflecting on her 23 year palliative care career, Nurse Practitioner, Sara Fleming says “the reason why everybody needs to do this course is because that moment to talk with a patient or family might not happen at a designated time when an expert spiritual care practitioner is in the room – and that opportunity needs to not be scooted over,” she says.

“Leaning into that conversation and opening it up allows us to do more good for our patient and feel better within ourselves.”

There are four modules in the Spirituality in Health and Palliative Care Course to complete:

• Module 1: The Essence of Spiritual Care
• Module 2: Spiritual Care and Professional Practice
• Module 3: Paediatric Spirituality in a Healthcare Context
• Module 4: Spirituality, Culture and Context

Each is free to access and can be done individually at your own time and pace, start HERE.

Catch up on PCA’s Thursdays@3 podcast to hear Luke Bowen and Sara Fleming talk more about their experiences with spiritual care.

Tuesday, 21 March 2023