Palliative Care Program
Sheehan based the Ursuline program on a national and regional needs survey indicating that palliative care nursing experts supported the need for graduate education in palliative care. This support was echoed by Ursuline College nursing alumnae and Cleveland nursing leaders. The program started with nine students and now enrolls 23 in the palliative care track and postmaster’s certificate program. Building a Partnership Ursuline students learn three ways: classroom work, interaction with experienced nurses and an open-door faculty policy. “These three elements plus reflection and contemplation are the strengths of our program,” Sheehan explains. “Our educational program is based on values. Students learn about themselves first by looking at their own values. Then they are able to listen and learn about patient values and provide care based on patient and family needs.” Communication is another program focus. Students learn how to talk with someone who is dying. “Over time,” Sheehan says, “they come to see dying as a potentially rich experience and gain perspective on their own beliefs on the meaning of life and their own direction in life.” Instruction includes lectures from invited experts and reviews of the current literature on best practices. This approach ensures that graduates are familiar with palliative care excellence and are well positioned to contribute to the palliative care body of knowledge. Each of the clinical nurse specialist students also completes a practicum. Many spend hours at the Cleveland Clinic’s Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine where they work with the inpatient and outpatient clinical teams. “They are very involved and part of the interdisciplinary team,” Sheehan explains. Students often spend time at the Hospice of the Western Reserve’s Hospice House where they work with advanced practice palliative care nurses, physicians and other providers. Students also work at a variety of other clinical sites, where they learn from professionals who provide grief and bereavement services. Graduates in Demand Personal Reflection |