This specialty reflects the specialized needs of three specific high-risk populations with emphasis on ethnic and racial minorities including: adult and older adult patients and their families undergoing treatment for life-threatening illness; adult and older adult patients and families facing death; adult and older adult patients and families with chronic illness requiring quality of life interventions. Students will declare a population focus within the adult, gerontological, or community health advanced practice nursing (nurse practitioner or clinical specialist) concentrations and engage in the study of palliative care of these individuals.
The specific goals of this program are:
- To educate advanced practice nursing students (nurse practitioner and clinical specialists) in palliative care to provide culturally appropriate, sensitive health care
- To increase the number of minority and disadvantaged nurses educated to provide this care
- To improve access to expert, quality and comprehensive nursing care provided to seriously ill populations facing life-threatening illness.
The proposed 45 credit curriculum in palliative care is designed for students pursuing a master's degree in nursing. The program admits registered nurses who have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited nursing program. Admission requirements for the APN program include a current RN license, completion of a baccalaureate degree in nursing or a related field, a demonstrated commitment to caring for the underserved, evidence of readiness for graduate study in nursing, and three professional references. Students can also be admitted to BCSON as traditional master’s students (BS in nursing), master’s entry students (possessing a BA or BS outside of nursing) or the RN to master’s program (RN licensure with an AD or diploma in nursing).
SAMPLE CURRICULUM
The course of study for APN students at BCSON includes courses from the graduate core curriculum, the clinical core curriculum, and the specialty course curriculum. The curriculum provides foundation courses in nursing theory, social and economic issues in health care delivery, ethics, research, leadership, and regulatory factors in advanced practice nursing. The clinical core, taken by all APN students, provides the foundations for practice and includes health assessment, health promotion and disease prevention, assessment and management of common and complex conditions, pharmacology and pathophysiology. Specialty courses emphasize the importance of the family structure when caring for the patient and provides additional content necessary for the APN’s broad scope of practice.
The palliative care courses will incorporate three main components: theoretical concepts, clinical foundation courses, and the clinical practicum. The proposed curriculum will integrate course from the graduate core, clinical core and one specialty course from the adult/gerontological or community health core advanced practice curriculum. The curriculum was developed using the NONPF Curriculum Guidelines and Program Standards (NONPF, 1995), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice (AACN, 1996), and the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC, 2003) standards.
SAMPLE FULL-TIME CURRICULUM
Year I - Fall: 12 credits
- NU 672 Pathophysiology (3)
- NU 415 Concepts (3)
- NU 416 Ethics (3)
- NU 520 Research Theory (3)
Year I - Spring: 12 credits
- NU 420 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- NU 430 Advanced Health Assess (3)
- NU 523/4/5 Research II (3)
- NU 417 Advanced Role (3)
Year I - Summer: 3 credits
- NU 640 Palliative Care I: Foundations of Serious Illness, Disease Progression and Quality of Life (3)
- Year II - Fall: 9 credits
- NU 463 Adv Theory in AH/GRT Nursing (3)
- OR NU 472 Adv Theory in CH/Family Nursing (3)
- NU 641 Palliative Care II: Pain and Suffering in the Seriously Ill Patient (3)
- NU 642 Palliative Care II Practicum (150 hrs) (3)
- Year II - Spring: 9 credits
- NU 643 Palliative Care III: Palliative Care and the Advanced Practice Nursing Role (3)
- NU 644 Palliative Care III Practicum (350 hours) (6)
The curriculum plan above is one example of the Palliative Care program. An individualized plan for each student is developed with a faculty advisor.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
NU 640 Palliative Care I: Foundations of Serious Illness, Disease Progression and Quality of Life (3 credits)
This course will provide an intensive historical, sociopolitical and cultural perspective of the personal, professional, societal, cultural, spiritual, and ethical/legal issues related to serious illness and the end of life. The philosophy, principles, and models of palliative care are analyzed, as well as the role of the advanced practice nurse and others in a caring society. Students develop an understanding of the processes of illness, coping, facing death, and quality of life at various stages of the life cycle. Students develop communication and counseling strategies, and other bio/psycho/social/spiritual strategies to maximize quality of life and assist individuals and families while receiving care for serious illness in various settings.
NU 641 Palliative Care II: Pain and Suffering in the Seriously Ill Patient (3 credits)
This course will provide an intensive focus on improving the quality of life, care and dying of individuals and families experience life-threatening illness through nursing assessment and interventions to relieve pain and suffering. Established palliative care standards will be utilized to evaluate the outcomes of such care. Management of pain and barriers to effective pain relief are discussed in depth. Patient care strategies to improve quality of life, relieve pain and alleviate suffering are discussed within the context of advanced practice nursing.
NU 642 Palliative Care II: Practicum (3 credits)
This course prepares students to provide comprehensive care to those patients and their families with advanced life threatening illness. Students will engage in holistic
assessment of pain and quality of life of patients with advanced illness including AIDS, cancer and serious illness in a variety of settings under the direction of a skilled clinician in palliative care. Seminars integrate concepts from the core and theory courses.
NU 643 Palliative Care III: Palliative Care and the Advanced Practice Nursing Role (3 credits)
This course will provide advanced content relating to assessment and alleviation of
complex symptoms relating to care of patients and families experiencing serious life-threatening illness. Students will analyze the impact of such illness on patient, family, community and the health care system. Resource availability and barriers to care are analyzed with the context of various settings. The leadership role of the advanced practice nurse in palliative care is delineated with emphasis on policy development, protocols, standards of practice, fiscal management, research utilization, quality improvement, patient advocacy, ethics, social-cultural issues and the role of the nurse leader in the interdisciplinary team. Students will participate in professional team meetings, family meetings and patient support groups.
NU 644 Palliative Care III: Practicum (3 credits)
This course prepares students to integrate advanced knowledge of palliative care in
assessing and managing the symptoms of those experiencing life-threatening illness within the palliative care focus. Complex psychological, ethical, social and spiritual issues and grief reactions will be the focus of the clinical practicum. Additionally, the student will explore and experience the role of the advanced practice nurse leader on the palliative care team, family meeting and patient support group. Students may provide care across diverse health care settings.