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Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment

POLST for Health Care Professionals

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment – is a physician order that outlines a plan of care reflecting the patient’s wishes concerning care at life’s end. The POLST form is voluntary and is intended to:

  • Help you and your patient discuss and develop plans to reflect his or her wishes
  • Assist physicians, nurses, health care facilities, and emergency personnel in honoring a person's wishes for life-sustaining treatment





POLST Trainings

POLST – It Starts with a Conversation

Learn about POLST in this two-day train-the-trainer course using the California POLST curriculum. The training provides opportunities to develop skills for facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and families about POLST and goals of care and ideas for implementing POLST in communities and training other health care professionals.

The course is designed for:

  • Leaders in organizations and communities initiating a POLST program.
  • Individuals who will be teaching healthcare staff and/or the community about POLST, including nurses, social workers, chaplains and other interested staff from skilled nursing and acute care hospitals, emergency medical services, home health and hospice.

    • Tuition is $169-$239. Partial scholarships are available.

Upcoming dates:

POLST – Beginning the Conversation

This one-day workshop introduces the California POLST document and how it fits into the continuum of advance care planning. Come learn the latest information about POLST and enhance your skills and comfort in facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and families about POLST and goals of care.

The workshop is designed for healthcare professionals who want to learn more about POLST and help patients complete the form – including physicians, nurses, case managers, social workers, chaplains and other staff from skilled nursing and acute care facilities, emergency medical services, home health and hospice.

Tuition is $109-$144. Partial scholarships are available.

Upcoming Trainings

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POLST Resources for Health Care Professionals

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Presentations

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Model Policies & Procedures

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Miscellaneous

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Videos

Related videos, click on the video thumbnail below to watch. Video will open in a new window so please allow pop-ups from this site.

  • POLST at Work in California

    This 12-minute video provides a detailed look at the POLST form and how it works in a community as a patient is transferred between health care settings. The video is designed for health care professionals, but can also be helpful for consumers wishing to learn more about POLST. The video is adapted from Oregon’s POLST at Work video.

  • POLST: Honoring Patients’ Wishes for Treatment

    CA POLST is helping honor patients wishes for treatment.

  • POLST: Having the POLST Conversation

    A demonstration of the doctor/patient POLST conversation.

  • Honoring the Wishes of the Spanish
    Speaking Patient and Family
    English version | Spanish version [Real Media File]

    This 19-minute video from Oregon’s POLST program is designed for the Spanish-speaking community and addresses the important role of bilingual family members and the use of an interpreter, as well as how culture and spirituality can play an important role during end-of-life care. Designed for health care professionals, patients and family members.