Being A Palliative Care Nurse

Nurses in specialty care continue to change the health care system to meet the needs of patients regardless of the setting. Hospice and palliative care is an area of nursing specialty care that has grown since the 1970s when it began (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). Leaders in nursing identify change that is needed and discover ways to make the changes possible. The leadership in nursing brought forth attention for patients with terminal illness. Nurses defined hospice and palliative care, developed core principles, practices, provided education and then pushed for the care to be available in multiple settings (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). The continued growth in this specialty area of nursing is related to the positive outcomes of patients that have

The first half of this clinical placement, I was on a palliative ward. While others might find it difficult caring for patients at the end stage of life or in great deal of pain, I find that it gives me a great deal of satisfaction that I was able to provide care for these client in my own unexperienced way of palliative care. Being a patient myself of a very serious illness in the past, the goal of a palliative care team which is to provide quality of life during these difficult stages of the client, hits close to my heart. I might consider working in the palliative care unit in the future.

Nurses: Assist the patients and families to cope with the end-of-life process such as assessing and

End of life issues involving education on palliative care and hospice; are these issues important to you and your loved ones? The purpose of this paper is to discuss end of life care and how the legislative process affects this important topic. As the American population keeps growing, so does the amount of an aging population. Is the amount of training and education in nursing school sufficient for palliative care and hospice? Do we need to provide more training to the medical field to help support the growing need for end of life care? At some point in our careers we might be faced with helping someone in their final days. Being educated and having the ability to provide appropriate care is part of our scope of practice. (American Nurses Association, 2010, pp.1-2)

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization, in 2011, an estimated 1.651 million patients received services from hospice care, while 1,059,000 patients passed away from this form of care in the same year (NHPCO pdf, 2012). Hospice end of life cares mission/goal is to provide compassionate care for patients and their families who are living with a life limiting illness. This type of medical service gives expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support (NHPCO, 2016). End of life care is beneficial for ones well being while they are passing away. Giving someone a peaceful and warm environment to spend their final life moments in. This form of end of life care is something that most people can relate to as many friends and family members have gone through this process. Hospice care is delivered to many patients, residents, and in general people all around the world, having many factors that go into hospice such as the requirements to receive hospice, the care team and the levels of care one receives, all of these factors are extremely important when it comes to the care for one’s life, family member, or friend.

The abstract title should appear in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered at the top of the page. The abstract is left justified as the rest of the paper. An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article, accurate, nonevaluative, coherent and readable, and concise. An abstract is only 150 to 250 words in length.

The role of the expert palliative care nurse is complex and unique. The nurse functions as an integral part of a Multidisciplinary team, providing expert skilled assessment and nursing care, supporting the patient and the family to make informed choices thereby encouraging the patient to continue to make autonomous decisions about their care towards the end of their life.

The study concludes that it is imperative for nurses to acquire knowledge on the significance of palliative care, the ethics behind, and how it impacts the lives of their patients and families. This checklist serves as a guide for best

Until reading this chapter, I did not consider myself a palliative care nurse. Now, I realize palliative care really is my focus. As a dialysis nurse, I do not expect to cure a patient of their renal failure. I do provide emotional, physical, and spiritual care to my patients and their loved ones. Quality of life is of utmost importance for dialysis patients.

Palliative care is for patients such as Lorna Hetherington who are facing a life threatening illness. Palliative care is defined by the World Health Organisation as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families confronted with the problems of a life threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by medical interventions and constant assessments as the illness progresses (Brown & Edwards, 2012, p 158). Implementing a palliative approach is not based on a clinical stage or diagnosis but based on the patients needs. As an enrolled nurse providing palliative care, the aim is to improve the quality of life for the patient, which is more than just pain management, rather a holistic approach is implemented.

Nursing students are increasingly exposed to patients with a surplus of terminal illness diseases which requiring palliative management. The nursing student is likely to come across palliative and dying patients in any clinical setting, making palliative care and end of life care education and training an essential component of nursing education (Davies &Higginson, 2004; Seymour, Gott, Bellamy, Ahmedzai, & Clark, 2004). Palliative care clinical placements can be a great experience for the nursing student, presenting the individual with both personal and professional challenges.

I have been a registered nurse at UCLA for 18 months. One particular issue that has captured my attention is the utilization of palliative care in health care. Because nurses are generally at the bedside all the time, they have an important role to play in voicing the importance of its utilization and implementation in the patient’s care.

Palliative care is a service provided by trained medical professionals to provide comfort to the patient that is suffering from a serious illness. Many people do not have a clear understanding of what palliative care is and how it provides relief for the patient, as well as the patient’s family. There is a definite need for education on this topic as well as many other topics concerning patient education and safety. The Joint Commission (2016) launched a Speak Up™ campaign in 2002 and one of the main topics the campaign focuses on is palliative care. The brochure offered is titled What You Need to Know About Your Serious Illness and Palliative Care (The Joint Commission, 2016) and is available for the public to download or print at no cost. The brochure provides useful information on what services are provided and where you can receive those services. It includes other information that is not only beneficial to a patient, but a patient’s family member, or anybody who knows someone that may benefit from palliative care.

The nurse is considered as the primary care giver and hence will assume a role of coordination within the team (James et al., 2008). This responsibility is also important in making sure that the solutions and interventions implemented are assessed on a continuous basis and to acknowledge that as the needs of the patient change so does the care plan (Collins-Bride & Saxe, 2013). Palliative care nurse in Nancy’s case provides professional advice on management of symptoms, and education to staff and patient, and coordinates with other health team members. The palliative care nurse offers advice on the process of dying and assists in ensuring that the right medications are ready in case the patient’s situation deteriorates speedily. This may entail adequate opiods, sedatives, and suitable management plan of the bowel. PRN medication’s availability is also important so as to guide successful nursing interventions and palliative physician can be contacted once the symptoms turn out to be

This research provides important insights that could be helpful in transforming nursing practice related to the issue since nurses have inadequate knowledge and misconceptions on palliative care (Qadire, 2014, p.23). The significance of the study is attributed to how its findings can be used for future research and initiatives to enhance nurses’ palliative care knowledge. Some of these measures that the study’s findings can be used for future research in nursing practice on palliative care include conducting comprehensive information on this issue, training programs, and advice on the issue. As evident from the research’s findings, there is need for comprehensive education to incorporate the fundamental principles of this health issue and symptom management.