PatchSA is proud to announce the launch of Children’s Palliative Care for EMS Providers, a unique, first-of-its-kind asynchronous online course designed specifically for emergency medical services professionals who wish to learn how to provide excellent out-of-hospital and pre-hospital care for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

This groundbreaking course has been developed with the support and input of experienced professionals working across emergency medicine, both in pre-hospital and in-hospital settings. It responds directly to the realities EMS providers face when called to attend to a child with complex palliative care needs: high-pressure environments, limited information, distressed families, legal uncertainty, and profound emotional weight.

For many EMS practitioners, these are among the most challenging calls they attend. Yet, until now, there has been little structured, contextually relevant guidance tailored specifically to their scope of practice.

A strong endorsement from Emergency Medicine Practitioner

The course comes highly recommended by Caleb Gage (BTEMC, MPhil EM, PhD EM), who reflects:

“Managing a child with palliative care needs as an EMS provider is one of the most complex and emotionally demanding situations we encounter. These calls challenge us clinically, legally, ethically, and personally. We must navigate unique physiological considerations, unclear legalities, distressed and grieving family members, and high-stakes decision-making without training or clear guidance. We feel uncertain, out of our depth, and outside of our comfort zone. And yet we are still expected to handle these situations.

Children’s Palliative Care for EMS Providers equips us to do just that. This course provides clear, practical, easy-to-follow guidance tailored to EMS providers. It clarifies your legal responsibilities, strengthens your clinical decision-making and helps you communicate with compassion and confidence. EMS have a major role to play in palliative situations. When handled well, these deeply challenging calls can become moments of profound impact, where we reduce suffering, support families in crisis, and provide care that truly makes a difference.”

Practical, clear content

The course offers:

  • Core principles of children’s palliative care
  • Symptom assessment and management in the pre-hospital setting
  • Ethical decision-making, including advance care plans and DNAR orders
  • Legal clarity within the South African context
  • Compassionate communication with children and families in crisis
  • A dedicated self-care module addressing resilience, moral distress, and burnout

Importantly, the course has been accredited with 8 CPD points (4 General and 4 Ethics) by the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, recognising both its clinical depth and its strong ethical foundation.

Part of a growing global learning community

This new offering sits within the expanding online educational platform of Patch Academy, which has become a trusted local and global resource for healthcare professionals seeking to develop knowledge and skills in paediatric and perinatal palliative care. Through accessible, high-quality training, Patch Academy continues to equip clinicians and healthcare providers across disciplines and borders to deliver compassionate, competent care to children and families navigating serious illness.

With the launch of Children’s Palliative Care for EMS Providers, PatchSA is taking an important step toward strengthening emergency care for some of the most vulnerable patients, ensuring that when these difficult calls come, EMS providers are prepared, supported, confident, capable, and compassionate.

Amazing launch discount for the course

The course fee is R800. However, as a one-off launch special, we are offering a 40% discount for the course until the end of March 2026. If you purchase the course before the end of this month, you will pay just R480 to take the course. You can purchase the course now and complete it at any time in the future.

CLICK HERE to take the course in your own time and at your own pace on the Patch Academy platform.