I really wasn’t sure what this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on death and dying was going to look like but I dived in boots and all.
 
I am a nurse working as an End of Life Care Coordinator, so dead, death and dying are among the three most common words I use every day at work. I approached this course not only from a professional point of view but as a member of the community. I feel this made my experience so much richer, as I was able to appreciate the comments from across the board and indeed from across the world.
 

Health professionals need to know the law that governs withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Law is not at the centre of the clinical encounter, but it is part of the regulatory framework that governs these decisions. Failure to know and follow the law puts health professionals and their patients at risk. But we know there are gaps in health professionals’ legal knowledge in this area and this is not surprising either, given how complex and difficult this field of law is.

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. It is organised by a committee of the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance. The purpose of this day is:

• To share WHPCA's vision of increasing the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world by creating opportunities to speak out about the issues
• To raise awareness and understanding of the needs – medical, social, practical, spiritual – of people living with a life limiting illness and their families
• To raise funds to support and develop hospice and palliative care services around the world.

My name is Elizabeth Shepherd and I am the Program Development and Quality Manager for Palliative Care at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. Working within this specialised area can be challenging and emotional, however, it can also be very rewarding. My position allows me to work closely with the 3 specialist PPC teams located at Children’s Hospital Westmead, Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle. Together we are known as The NSW PPC Programme and over the past 5 years I have been fortunate to work with the energetic and dedicated staff from each service to improve the support that is available to children and families across NSW.