by W. Diane Van Zwol

Created on: January 30, 2009

An Open Door For Palliative Care Nursing

The future of palliative care nursing is a very relevant question for registered nurses, especially for those who are newly trained and are just starting their careers, during difficult economic times.

In order to respond to the question appropriately, one must first be aware of what palliative care nursing entails.

The word palliate' originated in the year 1588 AD, with the Latin word pallium' meaning to cloak' or to conceal'. In medical terms, palliation' refers to the moderation or abatement of the intensity of a disease or illness, as its severity is reduced. (1)

Palliative care nursing' is nursing care administered to terminally ill patients in hospitals, nursing homes, private homes, hostels, etc. Palliative care nurses are trained to take care of dying patients, in a way that helps to relieve them of their symptoms as much as possible, when it becomes evident that an illness or disease cannot be cured. For many terminally ill patients, this entails long term nursing care.

If there is just one word that is used to describe palliative care nursing, it is compassion'.

Terminally ill or dying patients are kept as comfortable as possible, through the nursing care, concern and compassion of palliative care nurses, who are highly specialized and able to provide advanced levels of professional care for their patients.

Some registered nurses take specific courses in palliative care nursing. Many have previous experience in doctor's offices, private duty nursing or one-to-one care. Others come from medical or surgical nursing backgrounds. Palliative care nurses often have a high degree of expertise in specialty areas like emergency, intensive care or step-down units. Some palliative care nurses are highly specialized in pediatric palliative care.

Palliative care nurses frequently enroll in university or college courses, like death and dying, religious studies or philosophy. Questions related to death and dying are important to terminally ill patients, regardless of their background or culture. Each culture has its own unique understanding of topics like the meaning of life and death, how to prepare for death, what happens at the time of death or when a person passes away. Many palliative care nurses minister to dying patients, with regard to their spiritual needs.

A large majority of palliative care patients are cancer patients. This means that they may have to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or other medical treatments.

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