The University has been training in palliative care for twenty years

The Université de Toulon reaffirms the pioneering role of its University Degree in palliative care.

For two decades, its DU Soins palliatifs has been training healthcare professionals, anticipating and supporting the profound ethical and legal changes in the French healthcare system.

Created in the wake of the first Leonetti law of 2005, this DU responded to a fundamental need: to equip caregivers with the medical, legal, ethical, and human skills necessary to support people at the end of life and their loved ones.

The training is now an essential reference, having welcomed more than 500 professionals from varied backgrounds: doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and private practitioners. Faced with constantly growing demand, the degree attracts students from across the Sud region and beyond.

Structuring training

In a department like Var, which has no medical school, this university curriculum plays a strategic role. It has helped spread the culture of palliative care within hospitals and clinics, evolve healthcare organizations, and strengthen the skills of caregivers, whether they practice in institutions or as private practitioners.

Current parliamentary debates have reiterated this: the development of palliative care is one of the pillars of the reform. In this context, training professionals is an essential lever to guarantee dignified and high-quality support.

The multidisciplinary nature is one of the strengths of this degree, promoting a holistic approach to the patient through dialogue among all professions involved. Far from being static, the program has constantly integrated successive legislative changes. The provisions of the Leonetti laws, the fight against unreasonable obstinacy, the framework of deep and continuous sedation until death, and the specificities of pediatric palliative care are all themes that have enriched the teaching.

Towards national recognition

A national ministerial certification will strengthen the recognition of this degree, confirming its excellence.

With this training, the Université de Toulon illustrates its mission: supporting the transformations of the healthcare system through knowledge, research, and ethics.