Developing spiritual and religious care competencies in practice: pilot of a Marie Curie blended learning event

The Marie Curie Cancer Care (2003) Spiritual and Religious Care Competencies for Specialist Palliative Care provide a common language for healthcare practitioners in the nebulous area of spiritual care. The development of a pilot blended learning event, as described in this paper, sought to integrate the competencies into practice by providing opportunities both online and in the classroom to explore this aspect of holistic care in depth. In the planning stages, multiprofessional focus groups determined the level of delivery, and emerging themes shaped the content. Self-awareness and reflection were key features and part of the overall process to improve competency. The features of the virtual learning environment (VLE) used were video, facilitated asynchronous discussion and direct links to key articles and documents, while interactive classroom activities built on prior learning. Evaluation covered all aspects of the course design from participant and facilitator perspectives. Participant comments were overwhelmingly positive in relation to the content and chosen delivery methods with concerns about online learning proving unfounded.