HPNA ISSUES CALL TO ACTION IN SUPPORT OF CURRICULAR GUIDELINES FOR NURSING EDUCATION IN PALLIATIVE CARE
Supports new curricular guidelines for undergraduate nursing education in palliative care proposed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
PITTSBURGH, Penn. -
(EINPresswire via NewMediaWire) - February 28, 2016 - The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) calls upon its members and other stakeholders to take action in support of new curricular guidelines issued by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). 
HPNA congratulates AACN for its groundbreaking development of comprehensive recommendations for undergraduate nursing education, "Competencies and Recommendations for Educating Undergraduate Nursing Students: Preparing Nurses to Care for the Seriously Ill and Their Families." This work, building on prior work of AACN and the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) with a collaboration from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), emphasizes the importance of nursing education to ensure high-quality palliative care across healthcare settings. AACN has recognized HPNA’s contribution to and influence in this work through two HPNA position statements: Palliative Nursing Leadership, which encourages nurses to take a leadership role in education, advocacy, research, and clinical care; and the Value of the Professional Nurse in Palliative Care, which emphasizes the importance of nurses in the field. A representative of HPNA was also on the committee to help revise the competencies.
To expand AACN’s reach and focus on undergraduate nursing education in palliative care, HPNA is calling upon its members and other stakeholders and partners to take action by joining HPNA in promoting the AACN recommendations. HPNA will provide its members with tools and resources to support effective communication with the nursing education community, including nursing schools and universities offering undergraduate nursing degrees, in support of the recommended competency-based curriculum in palliative care.
In addition, HPNA continues to lead the transformation of care by defining and disseminating knowledge about palliative care through life-long learning and continuing competence. Together with the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) and the Hospice and Palliative Nursing Foundation (HPNF), HPNA pursues six core strategies in transforming the care and culture of serious illness:
1. Evaluating the educational needs of hospice and palliative professionals;
2. Designing programs, courses, and curriculum to advance expert care in serious illness;
3. Advancing research while supporting palliative nurse researchers;
4. Developing nursing leadership programs at local and national levels;
5. Enhancing nursing competence through certification; and
6. Increasing the number of nurses and others certified in hospice and palliative care.
Consistent with our vision to transform the care and culture of serious illness and our advocacy for the role of palliative nursing leadership, HPNA is issuing this Call to Action to nurses to lead efforts to both support the inclusion of the AACN palliative care competencies in academic undergraduate nursing curriculum, and to also practice at the highest level possible by maintaining continuing competence through on-going professional development and utilization of evidence-based practices.
To read the AACN recommendations: www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec/New-Palliative-Care-Competencies.pdf
To read the entire AACN news release, visit: www.aacn.nche.edu/news/articles/2016/elnec.
To read the entire HPNA position statement, Palliative Nursing Leadership: http://hpna.advancingexpertcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Position-Statement-on-Palliative-Nursing-Leadership.pdf
To read the entire HPNA position statement, Value of the Professional Nurse in Palliative Care: http://hpna.advancingexpertcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Value-of-the-Professional-Nurse-in-Palliative-Care.pdf
ABOUT HPNA
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association was established in 1986 and is the national professional organization that represents the specialty of palliative nursing, which includes hospice and palliative nurses. HPNA has over 11,500 members and 50 chapters nationally. HPNA works together with the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation to promote our mission, to advance expert care in serious illness, and our vision, to transform the care and culture of serious illness. Visit http://hpna.advancingexpertcare.org to learn more.
Harry Crytzer
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
412.787.9301
