Nursing Commons^™

Integrating Palliative Care Content Into A New Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum: The University Of Notre Dame, Australia – Sydney Experience, John M. Ramjan, Catherine M. Costa, Louise D. Hickman, Margot Kearns, Jane L. Phillips

Catherine M Costa

Background: The majority of society's deaths occur in a health care environment. Regardless of whether a death occurs in acute care, hospice, residential aged care or community settings, nurses are the health professionals that will spend the largest proportion of time with the patient who has a terminal condition and their families. As few nurses have specialist palliative care qualifications it is essential that nursing education prepares graduates to achieve the core capabilities required for the delivery of best evidenced based palliative care. This reality makes the integration of palliative care content into the undergraduate nursing curricula an important priority. …