Perinatal Palliative Care 4-month Certificate Course 2026
Patch Academy offers a 4-month long online comprehensive certificate course on PERINTATAL PALLIATIVE CARE to run from 1 August – 30 November 2026. The course is coordinated by PatchSA’s Education & Training Manager, Tracy Rawlins.
CPD Points
The course offers 30 CPD points (25 General & 5 Ethics) from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) for those registered with the HPCSA.
Topics covered in the course
- Compassionate communication and holding difficult conversations
- Ethics & shared decision making
- Psychosocial and spiritual care for families and babies before birth, at the time of birth, and after birth
- Physical care of the mother and baby at the time of birth
- Pain and symptom management for the newborn baby
- Memory & legacy making
- Bereavement support for families after the death of a baby
- Self-care and managing conflict
Who should do the course?
The course is appropriate for and open to all those who care for pregnant mothers and their newborn infants. This could include but is not restricted to doctors, OBGYNs, midwives, nurses, sonographers, genetic counsellors, therapists, etc.
The course is open to people living in South Africa as well as countries within sub–Saharan Africa and around the world. We welcome international students.
Reviews from previous students
A complete shift in my thought process and actual practice. I must begin by commending the course creators, the administrators and the course content. It is of the highest standard, very thorough and beautifully put together. It has been an incredible journey of learning with lots of emotions and light bulb moments. It flows so naturally and seems all so obvious, yet it is in this simplicity and what should come naturally, that we can often lose our way if there isn’t a structured approach. This is what this course has highlighted so well, as well as the aspect of the importance of communication and all its nuances. It is for this reason that I strongly feel that this course should be obligatory for all health care providers. BRAVO on an excellent course and THANK YOU!
Dr Jevani Govender
Paediatrician
This course ABSOLUTELY blew me away!! The flow, different ways of engaging us in the learning process, interactive videos and questions all makes this course incredibly valuable, enjoyable and just SO worthwhile. I am incredibly grateful for all the very practical advice, guidelines and help that this course included – I feel absolutely ready, empowered and informed to offer great perinatal palliative care in our hospital. Thank you so, so much to everyone that prepared this incredible adventure of learning – it was by far the best online learning experience I have ever participated in!
Dr Ané Buchner
Paediatric oncologist and palliative care physician
The amount of thoughtful effort, clear explanations, beautifully curated videos and resources in this course (to name just a few things) is awe inspiring. From the beginning it is clear just how much thought and care has gone into every little part of this course. The course and course content resonated deeply with me and highlighted the need for perinatal palliative care in my setting.
Dr Marelize Bosman
Paediatric cardiologist
Thank you for all the effort and integration used to design this course. It was more insightful than I ever imagined and I am grateful and proud to have completed this course. PPC is often overlooked or overshadowed by the work demands of hospitals in South Africa – this course provided insight and inspiration on how meaningful and valuable it is to provide PC principles into everyday situations with the families encountered within any hospital space.
Ms Simona Moi
Speech Therapist within NICU and PICU
What prior learning is required?
No prior degree or diploma is required but the course does require reasonable academic ability and proficiency in English as well as a degree of computer literacy. We will be there to support you through any challenges you may have as you work through the course.
Time and course requirements
The course will take 4 months to complete and will run from 1 August – 31 November 2026. We estimate that you will need to spend approx. 4-5 hours a week over the duration of the 4-months on required course activities.
In order to complete this course, it is essential that you have:
- A strong desire to learn about perinatal palliative care including both clinical and psychosocial aspects of care
- The willingness to make the time and a commitment to the completion of the course over the 4-month period
- Regular and reliable access to a computer, the internet and sufficient data to complete online courses and attend webinars
- A keenness to interact with and learn from fellow participants and engage in online forums
- Time to attend a minimum of 2 of the 4 live evening webinars offered during the course
What does it cost?
The course costs R3800 (Approx. $220 | €190 | £165) and includes:
- Access to the online course
- Attendance at webinars where members of the Patch Academy Training Team and invited guests will share their knowledge and expertise
- Personalised responses to assignments
- Regular reminders and progress reports on where you are at during the course
- Access to one-on-one assistance during working hours
- Access to and participation in online forums
- A final assessment quiz to consolidate learning
- A certificate of completion for the 4-month Comprehensive Course if completed in time
- 30 CPD points (25 General & 5 Ethics) from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) for those registered with the HPCSA
Discount
A 10% discount on the full price of the course is offered to any paying member of PatchSA. You can click here to join PatchSA as a member today and once registered, claim your discount.
Bursaries
Bursary applications have now closed.
Payment and registration
Once registered, you can pay via the PayFast buttons OR directly into our bank account via EFT. Please see details below the registration form for this information. A payment plan for 2 equal payments can be negotiated with our administrator by emailing admin@patchsa.org
Refunds: Once you have started the course in August 2026, no refunds will be paid if you are not able to complete it, however, you will still be provided with access to the online courses over the 4 months. Any refunds requested or deferrals to the 2027 course after 1 August will be subject to a 15% admin fee.
Registration for the course closes on 24 July 2026.