The ACE Project curriculum content was divided into eight modules:

Opening Reception - At the completion of the Opening Reception, the participant was able to:

Module 1. Moral Imperative to Improve Palliative Care

• Identify the core competencies necessary for the delivery of quality palliative care by psycho-oncology professionals.
• Discuss the barriers to quality care at end of life.
• Outline the general principles of palliative care.
• Understand the quality of life model and how it is relevant to the delivery of quality palliative care by psycho-oncology professionals.

Day 1: At the completion of the day, the participant was able to:

Module 2. Advocacy in Palliative Care

• Identify change strategies applicable to the palliative care environment. 
• Recognize opportunities and mechanisms for changing systems of cancer care, and identify the role of the psycho-oncology professional as an advocate and change-agent with leadership and mentorship responsibilities. 
• Articulate one’s personal motivation to improve the care of the dying within one’s circle of influence and identify concrete and measurable steps that can be taken to begin this process.
• Normalize the process of change and identify 5 strategies useful for addressing resistance.

Module 3. Personal Death Awareness

• Recognize the impact that one’s history of death experiences, culture, and attitudes play in the provision of quality end-of-life care.
• Identify one’s personal death awareness history as a foundation for improved professional practice in palliative care
• Discuss how authenticity in life choices influences one’s delivery of end-of-life care.
• Consider how the use of legacy exercises can be useful to encourage colleagues in the exploration of mortality concerns.

 
Module 4. Ethical Obligations of Psycho-Oncology Professionals in Palliative Care

• Identify the ethical obligation of psycho-oncology professionals to deliver quality palliative care.
• Identify various ethical issues that may arise at the end of life in cancer care and the role of the psycho-oncology professional in addressing these common concerns.
• Discuss the role of research for clinical psycho-oncology professionals.
• Discuss essential aspects of family-focused care for the imminently dying.

Module 5. Role of the Transdisciplinary Team in Palliative Care

• Understand the roles and responsibilities of each member of the care team.
• Demonstrate characteristics of effective communication in end-of-life care, especially as related to inter-professional collaboration.
• Discuss the application of transdisciplinary team concepts to various types of oncology teams.
• Explore the determination of roles and responsibilities for differing members of the transdisciplinary care team.

Day 2: At the completion of the day, the participant was able to:

Module 6. Physical Aspects of Palliative Care

• Describe common symptoms associated with end-of-life processes, their causes, assessment techniques, and various psychosocial-spiritual interventions useful to prevent or manage these symptoms.
• Discuss the concept of suffering as related to end of life.
• List the components of a thorough bio-psychosocial-spiritual pain assessment and discuss its importance in developing a care plan.
• Express an understanding of various interventions appropriate for psycho-oncology professionals to use for pain and symptom management.

Module 7. Psychosocial-Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Care

• Recognize the dimensions of spirituality, and religion that influence end-of-life care, and the importance of recognizing this diversity, especially for those facing the end of life;
• Understand the processes of grief and bereavement, and compassion fatigue;
• Identify common spiritual concerns for those receiving palliative care and strategies for addressing them;
• Discuss the importance of understanding the role of culture in providing individualized care throughout the continuum of illness, with special attention to the needs of those facing end of life.  

Day 3: At the completion of the day, the participant was able to:

Module 8.  Applying Our Heart, Head & Hands: Bringing Together Passion, Knowledge & Action for Effective Change

• Explore strategies for effective change within the participants’ institution and discipline.
• Identify opportunities to use the expressive arts (journaling, art, music, etc.) to create an environment conducive to exploration of existential concerns.
• State the need for genuineness in inter-personal interactions as a strategy to minimize the risk for compassion fatigue.
• Identify one’s own “mission statement” as a guide for personal and professional development. 

Centering Practices & Closing Rituals -At the commencement and conclusion of each day, participants were able to:

• Appreciate the importance of culturally diverse reflective practices as an anecdote to compassion fatigue.
• Be invited to consider the importance of developing reflective practice to enhance delivery of palliative care.
• Be given the opportunity to witness modeling of use of centering practices within their own institutions to invite and encourage reflective practice of colleagues. 

Expectations for ACE Project Participants

• Participants experienced working with patients with advanced illness.
• Participants from diverse backgrounds as well as participants whose institutions serve minority and/or underserved communities were especially encouraged to apply.
• Participants agreed to attend one of the annual courses and the Reunion Conference in 2010 where each participant will present a poster highlighting their advocacy efforts. 
• The ACE Project Team asked that participants come eager to learn, participate actively, enhance their leadership potential through the curriculum and leave motivated to be a force for change.