HOSPICE DOULA TRAINING
COST: $750
DISCOUNTS: 5% for Tier 2 and 3 Members, 15% for Student or Military
Previously trained INELDA Doulas may take this training for a reduced fee of $225 and a current membership. Current INELDA Certified Doulas with a membership may take this training free of charge.
- SCHOLARSHIPS: Available
- SELF-PACED ONLINE PREWORK & POSTWORK: 9 hours (estimated)
- ONLINE CLASSROOM HOURS: 16 hours live
- FORMAT: 2 eight- hour sessions or 4 four-hour sessions offered once quarter
- PREREQUISITE: Current affiliate, employee, or volunteer of a hospice organization or the intention of working in a hospice
- REQUIREMENTS: Internet access, computer or tablet with audio & video capabilities.
You can also attend one of our free DISCOVERY CALLS to learn more about becoming a doula and our training.
INELDA’s Hospice Doula Training is a transformative program that prepares you to provide compassionate, equitable, and holistic deathcare as a hospice doula. We recognize that each person’s journey to this training is unique, driven by a shared passion to make a meaningful impact at the end-of-life. Whether you aim to deepen your knowledge of deathcare, serve your community as a hospice volunteer, expand your volunteer role, or empower local hospices and long-term care facilities, this program will equip you with the tools, expertise, and confidence to make a difference.
The Role of a Hospice Doula
Hospice doulas are non-medical care providers that support patients and their families during the terminal phase of life specifically within the model of hospice or long-term care. Hospice doulas accompany the dying with presence, full-self listening, and knowledge about the dying process. Working alongside an interdisciplinary team—including doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other professionals—you will ensure that patients’ end-of-life wishes are honored and help support a self-determined transition.
Why Doulas Matter
Hospice doulas play a key role in filling gaps in the current healthcare system, especially in historically underserved communities. Your training will prepare you to provide culturally sensitive care, reduce burnout among direct care staff, and support families in navigating the challenges of end-of-life care. Whether you are serving as a volunteer or paid professional, you will be instrumental in raising death awareness and improving the quality of care provided to patients.
The Impact of Hospice Doulas
Integrating hospice doulas into end-of-life care can lead to numerous positive outcomes:
- Short-Term:
- Increased awareness and education among staff, improved cultural sensitivity, and ongoing support for patients and families.
- Intermediate:
- Decreased healthcare costs, reduced hospice discharges, and lower caregiver and healthcare worker burnout.
- Long-Term:
- Higher quality of life for patients, closing the gaps on healthcare disparities, and a stronger, more compassionate workforce.
By completing our comprehensive 25-hour training program, you will join a growing movement to revolutionize deathcare. You will learn essential skills in full-self listening, presence, non-medical care, and effective communication within interdisciplinary teams—all of which will enhance your ability to make a lasting difference in the lives of those you serve.
Topics Cover in Hospice Training
- The INELDA Doula Approach
- The role of an end-of-life doula within the model of Hospice
- Doula Methods: Exploring Meaning, End-of-Life Projects, Planning, Guided Imagery, Ritual
- Cultural awareness and person-driven care
- Effective communication and documentation skills for working within an IDT
- Patient navigation for end-of-life
- Bridging care from Palliative to Hospice to Bereavement
- Helping shift the culture of care to include doulas
- Supporting people living with dementia
- Preparing the direct care-giver
- Best practices for integrating doulas
OVERVIEW:
- Prework—video and exercises that take an average of 6-8 hours
- Live Zoom Training
- Small group and pairs exercises—to experience and practice doula skills
- Learner manual
TRAINING MATERIALS PROVIDED:
- All learners will also be granted access to INELDA’s current Hospice EOLD manual as a PDF for print or download
- All learners will be granted access the documentary Prognosis: Notes on Living
- All learners will be granted access to INELDA’s prework consisting of video segments and readings
TOPICS COVERED:
- Foundational Doula Principles
- Culture & sensitivity; Intersectionality
- Compassionate listening
- Common issues in facing death
- Meaning and legacy work
- Vigil planning
- Guided imagery
- Signs and symptoms of dying
- Rituals and ceremonies
- Reprocessing the dying journey
- Early grief work
- Self-awareness for doulas
Hospice DOULA Training calendar
(If you want to search for other events, use the “Search Events” bar below or click on any of the filters shown.)
EDUCATORS
Our growing team of educators draws from decades of work as end-of-life doulas. Their insights and stories from the bedside capture the essence of doula work and inspire attendees to walk with them on the same path. They also have extensive backgrounds in trauma-informed care, nursing, social work, spiritual care, grief, the healing arts, adult education, and hospice administration. Every one of them has also completed or is engaged in, our doula certification process.
HOSPICE DOULA TRAINING FAQs
Although both programs teach the INELDA Doula Approach, the EOLD training is 40 hrs and designed to train individuals as full-spectrum end-of-life doulas who can support end-of-life needs in many contexts. The hospice doula training is 25 hrs and was created specifically for those embedded within the hospice model or long-term care. It teaches specific skills that equip individuals to work as a part of an interdisciplinary team and within the existing structure of individual care facilities.
The hospice doula training offers direct care providers and healthcare workers a place to learn more about compassionate and informed end-of-life care to improve the quality of care they deliver. It is condensed to make it more accessible for those who already work within the hospice/end-of-life industry. If you are looking to go deeper into how end-of-life doulas provide care, you may be interested in our 40hr foundational EOLD training.
Yes. In this program we will work to understand the nuance of providing care in both the home setting and the care facility setting.
Yes, all those who move through INELDA’s Hospice Doula Training and End-of-Life Doula Training program are eligible for the year-long certification program and professional development. Those who trained in an external program, can take our bridge program and then apply for certification.
We offer a 15% discount for military and veterans. To receive this discount, please send a copy of your military, veteran status government issued ID to [email protected]
This discount will apply to the full cost of the course, and cannot be combined with any membership discount.
We offer a 15% discount for students. To receive this discount, please provide a copy of your current enrollment and student ID. Documents can be sent to [email protected]
This discount will apply to the full cost of the course, and cannot be combined with any membership discount.