Appraisal of the graduate end-of-life nursing education consortium training program

Background: Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are crucial in the provision of quality end-of-life care. However, little attention is devoted to palliative care in most graduate nursing curricula, leaving advanced practice nurses poorly prepared to meet the needs of those approaching the end of their lives. Objective: The purpose of the graduate version of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC-Graduate) Training Program is to provide nursing faculty with the knowledge and materials necessary to include palliative care throughout the graduate nursing curriculum. Design and settings: Sixty graduate nursing faculty members attended the first ELNEC-Graduate training course. Prior to attending the course, each participant completed surveys regarding the adequacy of end-of-life (EOL) content within their curriculum, as well as overall perceptions of EOL education in their university. Participants were asked to respond to these same questions immediately and at 12 months after completion of the course. Results: Respondents reported significant improvements in the adequacy of eight areas of EOL content taught within their settings. Participants noted improved effectiveness in their ability to teach EOL care, of their curriculum in including EOL care, and of their graduate nursing students in providing care to the dying. The total hours of EOL content added to graduate nursing curricula as a result of attending ELNEC-Graduate was 18.4 +/- 17.4 standard deviation (SD) hours. Additional unintended consequences were noted. Conclusion: The ELNEC-Graduate Program is a national initiative that effectively improves faculty expertise in EOL care and expands palliative care content within graduate nursing curricula.