Individual Learning
Courses and Videos for Professionals
An On-line course and personalized journey into wellness for Caregivers and First Responders.
This course is as much a personal adventure as a course, and a radical innovation in stress reduction—it reduces your stress as you learn.
A video for new health professionals and a refresher on the fundamentals for experienced staff.
This inspiring and insightful program introduces and demonstrates compassion as a skill that everyone can practice – with examples that illustrate precisely what is meant by “compassion.”
This video shows how compassion is applied to resolve tough conversations.
Turn a difficult conversation into a discovery conversation.
Identify three layers of a difficult conversation.
Recognize pivotal moments when conversations can turn around.
Oxygen for Caregivers
An inspiring, interactive online course
for health professionals and first responders
Oxygen for Caregivers 4 min. Trailer
Introduction by ELNEC Project Director,
Pam Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN, FAAN
Overview by the Course’s Author
Simon Fox, Executive Director,
Adventures in Caring Foundation
How to Navigate the Course
– by Mikael Myggen
Scholarships Available
For: • CNAs • Students • Family Caregivers • Volunteer Caregivers.
Scholarships are made possible thanks to supporters of
Adventures in Caring Foundation
Discounts Available
For: LeadingAge California Members • ELNEC Trainers
Discounts are made possible by
LeadingAge California
ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium)
Oxygen for Caregivers Online is a personalized, immersive multimedia experience. Truly a breath of fresh air, not only in in the myths it dispels, and the antidotes to burnout it gives, but also in the beauty of its production that makes each session a pleasure to attend — it actually reduces your stress as you learn.
Oxygen for Caregivers is both evidence-based and a distillation of grassroots wisdom gained through the long careers of experienced caregivers.
This is as much a personal adventure as a course. What you will get out of it is a vitally new perspective on how to approach the challenges of burnout, compassion fatigue, moral distress, vicarious trauma, and even primary trauma.
You will see practical examples of how others cope with these hazards. You will learn about the root causes of stress and how to defuse them. Plus, you will have the opportunity to review three core elements of resilience you can build into your life proactively.
You end up with a practical, doable plan that’s customized to fit and enrich your unique life.
- Practical, easy-to-understand applications of the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience.
- Tools to strengthen the five factors of posttraumatic growth which are active in people who flourish despite adversity—they are the ultimate foundations of your well-being and resilience.
- Long enough to gain the traction needed to build new habits that improve your well-being. In steps short enough to fit into the busiest schedule.
- No scheduling required. You do it at your own pace.
- 8 hours of continuing education credits, in 20-minute sessions made of 5-minute steps.
- No new hardware or software needed.
- High production value makes it a pleasure to learn.
- Customized to meet your own needs and goals. Personally meaningful, memorable and inspiring.
- Participate in a community of fellow professionals who learn, not only from the course material, but also from one another.
Table of Contents:
Module 1: Real-World Self-Care
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Oxygen for Caregivers documentary-style video
1.2 Taking Small Steps
1.3 Gathering Inspiration
Module 2: The Territory
2.0 Tracking Your Progress
2.1 Entering the Territory
2.2 Occupational Hazards I: Exhaustion
2.3 Occupational Hazards II: Traumatization
2.4 Biological Impact
2.5 The Five Roots of All Stress
2.6 Antidotes to Stress 1–3
2.7 Antidotes to Stress 4–5
2.8 Resetting the Autonomic Nervous System (Polyvagal Theory applied)
Module 3: The Journey
3.0 Gathering Strength for the Journey
3.1 Self-Awareness: A Way of Seeing
3.2 Courageous Questions
3.3 Healing the Wounded Healer
3.4 Recognizing Your Own Warning Signs
3.5 Balance in the Ebb & Flow of Your Life
3.6 Healing Connections: Your Roots of Renewal
3.7 Continually Improving Your Well-Being I: The Formula
3.8 Continually Improving Your Well-Being II: The Plan
3.9 Conclusion
4.0 Appendix
PAY IT FORWARD
If you would like to support another caregiver’s well-being, you can make it possible for someone else to take the course at a discount by making a donation to the Adventures in Caring Foundation.
$128.00
Scholarships and discounts available see below.
What People Say About Oxygen for Caregivers
I work with the military, first responders around world, the wilderness medicine community, and emergency physicians and residents at Stanford Hospital. This is a wonderful resource to share with my emergency medicine faculty and residents. Please keep up the good work. It is fascinating and much needed.
This remarkable program provides wonderful, unrehearsed insights from our colleagues who have successfully coped with stress for decades. I highly recommend it.
Oxygen for Caregivers is a true gift for all of those who work in a helping field. It is a thoughtfully crafted message that illuminates the profound need for self-care and self-compassion as the core principles for assisting others.
Oxygen for Caregivers was a runaway success when it premiered at our Care4You compassion fatigue conference. I am still receiving rave reviews from nurses, social workers, and first responders. It is a highly useful, much needed resource.
These resources are beautifully created and remind us of the importance of self-care. The videos and workbooks provide wonderful tools for all healthcare professionals
It kept me riveted for the entire program. The variety and sincerity of those interviewed, and the broad range of issues and experiences, from hospice to firefighters, from doctors and nurses to search & rescue workers, drew me in immediately. Best of all, the not overly complicated nor overly simplistic presentation was useful and clear. I think it’s terrific.
Oxygen for Caregivers is an exceptional program… it gives a systematic method of self reflection so that we can recognize burnout in ourselves and our colleagues and take important steps to heal. It gives pragmatic tips on how we can pay attention to early signs of burnout and address them constructively. This program helps us take better care of ourselves and better care of each other, so that we can provide better care for our patients.”
A Video Documentary:
The Medicine of Compassion
Core Skills for the Human Side of Health Care
14-Day Online Video Rental
- On-demand access to The Medicine of Compassion video to view the program online for seven days.
- 4-page downloadable PDF of key points cover the four core elements that must be present to communicate compassion, the builders of skill in delivering those elements, barriers to remove for improvement, plus a self-evaluation scale to gauge your progress.
- 4-page downloadable PDF with instructions on how to guide a reflective conversation about the program with a small group of friends, fellow students or colleagues. Learning from each others experiences and insights enriches what is gained from the program.
The Medicine of Compassion
Core Skills for the Human Side of Health Care
Volume 1 of the Cultivating Compassion series.
- Winner, International Health & Medical Media
Award for best video in patient care. - Documentary-style production, original musical score, and real-life scenes show how compassion is communicated—a skill that everyone can learn. Guaranteed to inspire and stimulate insightful discussions.
- The program features gifted nurses, physicians and allied health professionals at work treating real patients in real life, in entirely candid, unscripted scenes. Then it reveals the four core principles behind these healing interactions.
A preview of The Medicine of Compassion.
What People Say About The Medicine of Compassion
Throughout history, compassion, caring, and love have been the foundation of healing. Without them, medical science and technology are inadequate. The Medicine of Compassion reminds us that these factors remain crucial in health care, as the greatest healers have always known
A valuable tool for any educator in health care. The principles shown are powerful. I have consistently seen my students’ lives transformed by putting such compassion into action. Not only does this benefit their professional lives in the field of health care, it also improves their relationships with friends and family.
Unequivocally, The Medicine of Compassion will deepen staff awareness of our patients’ needs. Examples of staff and patient interaction throughout the film clearly illustrate the keys to skillful and sensitive communication. Implementing these skills will enhance our professionalism and make us better human beings at the same time.
The Medicine of Compassion is excellent! This is practical compassion, and it is fundamental to building the partnerships with patients that produce better health care outcomes and better patient safety. Hospitals can improve the quality of care in a wide range of areas if they take this message to heart.
In our fast-paced, high-tech health care system we must be reminded that health care is about people and relationships. The Medicine of Compassion can be used by all health care educators to show the central elements of the art of medicine; compassion, listening, and communication. Bravo!
A great video for those who are just starting out in health care – and an excellent training tool for instructors who want to encourage compassion. The art of conveying compassion to patients is clearly shown as a practical, learnable skill.
Your film is very much needed and will be a great asset to any health care training program. When I became ill with cancer I learned what it was like to be treated as a disease and not a person. Your lessons in empathy are an excellent way to ensure that practitioners are more aware of the impact that their behavior has on healing.
I love the way this video gives a clear organization to the elements of compassion. The hunger for the human touch is well demonstrated and the family healing segment is very poignant. The pace and feeling of the video is just right, and the instruction is clear – beautiful work!.
Video Documentary #2: Compassion in Action
Being effective in emotionally difficult conversations
14-Day Online Video Rental
- On-demand access to the Compassion in Action video to view the program online for seven days.
- 5-page downloadable PDF of handouts summarizing the three key points of the program: 1) How to choose a response that turns a difficult conversation into a discovery conversation 2) Three-layers of a difficult conversation, 3) Self-Evaluation Tool.
- 11-page downloadable PDF of chapter one from the Compassion in Action leader’s guide with additional detail on managing emotionally difficult conversations.
- 4-page downloadable PDF with instructions on how to guide a reflective conversation about the program with a small group of friends, fellow students or colleagues. Learning from each others’ experiences and insights enriches what is gained from the program.
- 45-minute documentary-style video, with original musical score and real-life scenes show how compassionate communication is applied to resolve a wide variety of difficult situations. Guaranteed to inspire and provoke thoughtful conversations.
- The program features gifted nurses, physicians and allied health professionals at work treating real patients in real life, in entirely candid, unscripted scenes interacting with patients who are: Uncooperative, afraid, confused, grieving, unrealistic, forgetful, unable to speak, argumentative, frustrated, angry, feeling sorry for themselves, in a coma, dying young.
Compassion in Action
(professional edition)
Being Effective in Emotionally Difficult Conversations
Volume 2 of the Cultivating Compassion series.
Gives professionals the tools deal with the challenge of communicating compassion in emotionally charged situations and as a result, resolve them.
When times get Tough:
“Compassion often comes naturally when people are suffering. But what about when those people are upset or difficult to be with? Is it possible or practical to extend compassion when the going gets tough?
Compassion in Action shows the art of communicating with patients when difficult emotions arise. Using real-life 
footage from authentic situations, the video gives a fresh look at an age old problem: How to keep caring when patients are difficult. Viewers learn new approaches and gain confidence, encouragement and motivation for being effective in difficult interactions”
Simon Fox, Executive Producer
Scene from Compassion in Action
What People Say About Compassion in Action
Incredibly helpful! I was truly amazed and inspired by the nurses and MDs, and their dedication and compassion. This DVD is an excellent teaching resource!
There is both an Art and a Science in providing health care to those who suffer. This series illustrates and enlightens providers though its unique training – showing that compassion is the feelings and actions of being present with the sufferer; and suffering with them. This (video) series would enlighten not only physicians and nurses, but has a place as a cornerstone of education and training for the entire multi-disciplinary team including students, management, and Hospital Trustees alike.
An insightful look at experts delivering emotionally supportive care to very difficult patients. A clear demonstration of the need for, and value of, compassion in health care.
I love this video! It’s a wonderful, candid example of compassion at work in a variety of health care settings. It shows the humanity and joy we can find – even in the tougher situations – if we approach them in the right way.
Compassion in Action is a beautiful, practical demonstration of how to infuse difficult conversations with love.
A wonderful follow up to The Medicine of Compassion. It stimulates a discussion on more complex situations where demonstrating compassion can be difficult
What is so special and valuable about this video is seeing actual spontaneous reactions in real-time. They demonstrate and inspire the art of being present and observant
The sense of revelation that I and my colleagues had while watching this video – what a learning experience! I was moved to tears by one particular scene. I hope all new caregivers see this video, to see the ideal applied to the real. I wish all experienced caregivers could see it to be reminded of why we do what we do – to give LOVE where it is needed most.
Benefits you can expect from the Cultivating Compassion Series:
- Noticeable stress reduction
- Improved patient satisfaction scores
- Better performance and job satisfaction
- Marked improvement in morale and teamwork
- Improved patient safety
- Rapid recovery when things go wrong
- Conservation of personal resources
- Less absenteeism
- Reduced risk of being sued.
- Better word-of-mouth about you and your workplace
You can benefit from the three programs above as stand-alone learning sessions, or combined into a single transformative course.
This course, the Cultivating Compassion Series gives you the four core skills to communicate compassion to anyone who is suffering; the strategies and tactics to apply these skills in the most emotionally stressful situations; and the tools to protect yourself against burnout.
As a result, you become equipped with the foundational elements of excellent relationship-centered care which will enable you to flourish throughout a long, healthy and satisfying career.