CFPC CAC Palliative Care study plan
CFPC CAC Palliative Care · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Map the full CAC palliative care competency blueprint and list every content area it names
Rank each content area by estimated exam weight and your current self-rated confidence
Build a one-page master topic index that will anchor all eight weeks of study
Schedule fixed weekly study blocks and a midweek review slot in your calendar
Your checkpoint
A one-page master topic index with each content area tagged high, medium, or low priority by weight and personal gap
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Summarize the core definitions, goals, and philosophy of palliative care in your own words
Differentiate palliative care from hospice care and from disease-directed treatment
Explain how palliative care integrates with oncology, cardiology, renal, and dementia care pathways
Describe the roles of the interprofessional team and how they coordinate care
Your checkpoint
A 600-word written summary plus a comparison table of palliative versus hospice care that you can self-quiz from
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Outline the components of a structured palliative care assessment
List validated symptom and function tools and state when each is used
Practice applying two assessment tools to a written vignette
Identify red flags in assessment that trigger urgent escalation
Your checkpoint
A completed assessment template applied to two written case vignettes with your scoring rationale documented
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Explain the pathophysiology and management of pain, dyspnea, nausea, and fatigue in serious illness
Compare opioid and non-opioid analgesic strategies including equianalgesic principles
Describe management of constipation, delirium, and anorexia-cachexia in advanced disease
State monitoring and safety considerations for commonly used palliative medications
Your checkpoint
A symptom management quick-reference card covering at least six symptoms with first-line and alternate approaches
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Outline the elements of serious illness conversations and goals-of-care discussions
Describe how to assess decision-making capacity and apply it to a written scenario
Explain substitute decision-making and advance care planning documentation requirements
Practice responding to emotion and conflict in a written dialogue exercise
Your checkpoint
A written goals-of-care conversation script with at least three responses to strong emotion and one capacity assessment worked example
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Describe the psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of palliative care assessment
Identify grief, depression, and existential distress and differentiate them
Explain support strategies for family caregivers and bereavement follow-up
Outline ethical and legal issues including consent, confidentiality, and resource allocation
Your checkpoint
A one-page psychosocial and spiritual assessment checklist plus a short written reflection on one ethical dilemma
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Describe end-of-life care in the final days and hours including expected changes
Outline care in the last days for common trajectories such as cancer, heart failure, and dementia
Explain bereavement support and family follow-up after death
Review documentation and communication at transitions of care
Your checkpoint
A final-days care pathway summary covering expected changes, medication adjustments, and family communication
Palliative Care (content domains not enumerated in source)
Consolidate all prior notes into a single condensed review sheet
Complete a timed mixed-topic self-assessment and score it
Review every missed item and write the correct rationale for each
Rehearse a short verbal explanation of the palliative care approach for the oral or applied component
Your checkpoint
A completed timed self-assessment with a written error log and a two-page consolidated review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can define palliative care, distinguish it from hospice care, and describe interprofessional roles without notes
Week 4: Can list assessment tools and outline first-line management for four core symptoms from memory
Week 6: Can describe capacity assessment, substitute decision-making, and a goals-of-care conversation structure
Week 8: Achieve at least 80 percent on the timed mixed-topic self-assessment and have a written rationale for every missed item