Understanding primary palliative nursing education in undergraduate nursing programs.
Constance Dahlin, Susan DeSanto-Madeya, Susan Lysaght Hurley, Stephanie H Chan, Olivia Wood, Anne-Marie Barron, Priscilla K Gazarian
Author Information
Constance Dahlin: Salem Hospital, Salem, MA, United States of America; Center to Advance Palliative Care, New York, NY, United States of America. Electronic address: aprneducation@gmail.com.
Susan DeSanto-Madeya: College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, United States of America.
Susan Lysaght Hurley: Care Dimensions, Danvers, MA, United States of America.
Stephanie H Chan: Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, United States of America.
Olivia Wood: Care Dimensions, Danvers, MA, United States of America; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States of America.
Anne-Marie Barron: College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences, Simmons University, United States of America; Massachusetts General Hospital, United States of America.
Priscilla K Gazarian: Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States of America.
BACKGROUND: Nurses are the largest segment of health care professionals and often the first one to interact with individuals about their health and illness. Ensuring nurses have the education to care for individuals with serious illness is essential to quality health care. The new AACN Essentials: Competencies for Professional Nursing Education delineates hospice/palliative/supportive care as one of four spheres of nursing care. Surveying undergraduate schools/colleges of nursing in Massachusetts about content pertaining to care of individuals with serious illness provides the foundation for a state strategy to ensure quality primary palliative education for undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: A Massachusetts statewide college/school of nursing survey approach to assessing primary palliative nursing education within undergraduate baccalaureate nursing curricula was performed from June 2020 to December 2020. Because the project was a collaboration with the Deans of the college/school of nursing, the survey identified the programs. RESULTS: Survey results revealed that only a small number of Massachusetts nursing programs are preparing nurses with specific and formal primary palliative nursing education. However, programs are open to support and resources. CONCLUSION: The survey provided information to inform a successful strategy to support primary palliative nursing education within Massachusetts undergraduate baccalaureate nursing curricula. A survey approach can serve as a model for other states.
