Course Description

  • This program is designed to satisfy New Jersey’s two-hour end-of-life care requirement for medical license renewal

  • CME Credits: 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™

  • You will receive an email when the course is available and ready to view

Although understanding about palliative care during the last decade has improved among healthcare professionals, there is still confusion about this specialty and how to implement it in practice. New Jersey’s population, like many other states in the US, is aging with a greater incidence of cancer and a high prevalence of chronic conditions. This will increase the demand for high quality palliative care, hospice care and end of life care services.



Join Dr. David Barile on a series of nature walks as he shares a historical perspective on caring for people with serious illness, discusses how to improve shared decision-making, and explores what’s new in serious illness care with state and national thought leaders and palliative care innovators.

Dr. Barile is passionate about health and wellness and knows the benefits of spending time outdoors. This is why much of this program was filmed in the open air. We urge you to consider taking a break from sitting behind your own desk and encourage you to listen to all or part of this program on your own walk in the woods. Or, just enjoy the scenery from wherever you are. Either way, we’re sure you’ll appreciate the departure from the routine CME lecture and be inspired by the program and the uncommon approach used to deliver this noteworthy content.

Who Should Take this Course?

  • Photo of physician look at laptop
  • Photo of nurse smiling while talking with patient

  • Physicians, Physician Assistants

  • Any individual interested in improving the quality of care provided for people with serious illness

Learning Objectives

  • doctor talking with patient at hospital bed
  • health professional with patient

  • Consider how palliative care may improve quality of life and life expectancy in the seriously ill

  • Identify gaps in medical education that contribute to poor end-of-life (EOL) care, clinician burnout, depression and suicide

  • Highlight the importance of prognostication; identify measures to assist in making accurate prognosis

  • Identify strategies for improved patient centered medical decision making including addressing cross cultural differences regarding serious illness/death across the healthcare team, potential impacts of disparities on EOL care and the importance of appropriate cross-cultural communication

  • Facilitate conversations about diagnosis, prognosis, and how to deliver bad news using the 4 Step model

  • Describe the role Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) plays in EOL planning and how to introduce it in practice; identify appropriate patients that would benefit from POLST

  • Identify systemic and technological breakthroughs in palliative medicine; discuss at home programs; share information about national coalitions & programs

  • Identify those eligible for hospice care and describe the Medicare hospice benefit

  • Describe the laws and regulations around Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)

  • Review evidence based methods for reducing stress and burnout among the healthcare team

A Walk in the Woods: Updates on Palliative Medicine and End-of-Life Care

CME Credits: 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™

Course Curriculum

Caring for People with Serious Illness: A Historical Perspective (optional)

  • A Brief History of Palliative Care and Hospice
  • The Promise of Palliative Medicine
  • Integrating the Practice of Good Medicine into Health Professional Training


Improving Shared Decision-Making

  • Learning to Prognosticate
  • Eliciting Goals of Care
  • 4 Step Method
  • POLST


What’s New in Serious Illness Care

  • Palliative Care at Home and Communities
  • Accepting Hospice Care


Contemporary Considerations in Serious Illness Care

  • When Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) is Requested
  • Addressing Disparities and Promoting Equity in Serious Illness Care
  • The Pandemic & Caring for Ourselves

  • Although the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) accredits the program, Medical Aid in Dying is illegal in Tennessee and the discussion in this program is limited to instruction on New Jersey law.

Accreditation and Credit Designation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Tennessee Medical Association and Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey. The Tennessee Medical Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Tennessee Medical Association designates this video program for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physicians

American Academy of CME, Inc. designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants

American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts certificates of participation for educational activities approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME. Please submit credits commensurate with your participation for consideration towards board certifications and state licenses.

Disclosures

According to the disclosure policy of the TMA, all faculty, planning committee members, editors, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relationships with any ineligible company(ies). The existence of these relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the activity. Clinical content has been reviewed for fair balance and scientific objectivity, and all of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated. Disclosure of relevant financial relationships are as follows:

Faculty Educators

David R. Barile, MD; Ramy Sedhom, MD; Zubin Damania, MD; Eric Widera, MD: No relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Planning Committee 

Jessica Israel, MD, Ramy Sedhom, MD: No relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Kathleen Caillouette, Annika Johnson, Tennessee Medical Association: No relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
 
Lori Feldstein, Beth Hirschman, Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey: No relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.


 
The opinions expressed in this accredited continuing education activity are those of the faculty, and do not represent those of the TMA or Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey. This educational activity is intended as a supplement to existing knowledge, published information, and practice guidelines. Learners should appraise the information presented critically, and draw conclusions only after careful consideration of all available scientific information.

Instructions on How to Receive Credit

Please register and login to access the course material.

Although there are multiple modules, this is one (1) activity with 1 evaluation for the entire activity. Please watch all videos before completing the evaluation.

Upon completion of the activity evaluation, CME certificates will be available for download. 

Last day to view and claim CME credit for this program is April 2028.

Contact

For any questions, please contact: [email protected] 

  • This program is made possible through the generosity of the
    Baldwin-Sieck Family Fund.

Jointly Provided by

Tennessee Medical Association

The Tennessee Medical Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization representing Tennessee physicians. We advocate for policies, laws and rules that promote healthcare safety and quality for all Tennesseans and improve the non-clinical aspects of practicing medicine. Our mission is to improve the quality of medical practice for physicians and the quality of healthcare for patients by influencing policies, laws and rules that affect healthcare delivery in Tennessee.


https://files.cdn.thinkific.com/file_uploads/593874/images/e58/3e9/7de/GOCC_NJ-RGB.jpg

Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey

Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the only network of organizations in NJ working together to make certain that patients with serious illness get the care they need and no less, and the care they want and no more. Our membership is comprised of nearly 40 statewide organizations along with strategic partners and academic alliances with leading teaching institutions. We believe human interests, values, and dignity must be at the core of medical decision-making. As such, we aspire to create a standard of care for NJ where people explore their wishes for care towards the end of life, express those wishes, and have their wishes honored. Through research, education and advocacy, our mission is to ensure that policy makers, healthcare providers, patients, and family caregivers have the information, resources, training, and tools they need to promote high-quality, person-centered advance care planning, palliative care, and end-of-life care services.



Copyright

© 2025. This accredited continuing education activity is held as copyrighted © by Tennessee Medical Association and Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey. Through this notice, TMA and Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey grant permission of its use for educational purposes only. These materials may not be used, in whole or in part, for any commercial purposes without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner(s).

A Walk in the Woods: Updates on Palliative Medicine and End-of-Life Care

CME Credits: 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™

ADDITIONAL COURSES