European Palliative Care Academy 2015-17: 1st Course Week

On 28.09.2015 the University Hospital of Cologne welcomed the second cohort of participants to take part in the Leadership Course of the European Palliative Care Academy. 19 participants from 10 European countries were carefully selected in an application process.

The European Palliative Care Academy (EUPCA) is a unique further education course which prepares palliative care professionals from the whole of Europe for prospective leadership tasks in their professional lives. The content of the course includes Personal Development, Project Management, Team Work, Research Methods and Advocacy.

From 28.09 till 02.10.2015 the participants in Cologne were tutored and achieved skills in primarily Project Management and Personal Development. Moreover, they were introduced to palliative and hospice care in Germany with the example of The Centre for Palliative Care at the University Hospital of Cologne and Rondorf Hospice. In the evenings, the participants were treated to various social events including a boat trip on the Rhein and a traditional ‘kölsch’ meal at a Brauhaus Close to the Cologne Cathedral.

„It is a great honour that our centre is to host this forward-looking initiative by the Robert Bosch Foundation” said Professor Raymond Voltz, the head of the first course week and the director of the Centre of Palliative Care at the University Hospital of Cologne.

The internal evaluation produced positive results with both content and organisation being highly praised, “a really enjoyable and thought provoking week” and many participants highlighted the international aspect as being particularly beneficial, “the participants differ in many ways but we all still have the same direction/vision”.

Photo: MedizinFotoKöln

Photo: MedizinFotoKöln