More than 22,500 nurses in 97 countries have received specialized training.
Preconference before 29th International Nursing Research Congress in Melbourne, Australia, will address “The Global State of Palliative Care.”
In fulfilling its commitment to global nursing excellence, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) partners with other organizations in advancing strategic initiatives. One of those initiatives is the End-of-Life Education Consortium (ELNEC), a partnership between the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in Washington, D.C., and the City of Hope in Duarte, California, USA.
Since 2000, ELNEC has been preparing practicing nurses to meet the escalating need for palliative care, helping them feel comfortable and confident in their ability to provide this important care. Betty Ferrell, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and director of nursing research and education at City of Hope, directs the project.
To date, more than 22,500 nurses and other healthcare professionals, representing all 50 states in the United States and 96 other countries, have received training through ELNEC courses. (The ELNEC International Curriculum is advancing palliative care in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and India.) These courses are designed to prepare nurses in palliative care so they can go back to their institutions and provide that care as well as train other nurses, which include bedside and clinic nurses, undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty, continuing education providers, staff development educators, and specialty nurses in pediatrics, oncology, critical care, and geriatrics. The curricula are updated every year to reflect the latest in evidence-based practice.
ELNEC-trained trainers have gone on to teach the curriculum to more than 650,000 others in educational and clinical venues. In addition to improving the quality of nursing care in innovative ways in their own professional settings, these trainers host professional development seminars for practicing nurses, incorporate ELNEC content into nursing curricula, lead regional training sessions to expand the initiative’s reach into rural and underserved communities, make presentations at national and international conferences, and coordinate community partnerships.
In collaboration with Sigma, the End-of-Life Education Consortium is presenting the ELNEC Preconference, “The Global State of Palliative Care,” on 18-19 July 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, prior to Sigma’s 29th International Nursing Research Congress, slated for 19-23 July in that city. For later review and for those unable to attend the preconference, presentation content will be deposited in the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository.
As part of the partnership between Sigma and ELNEC, and to promote global nursing excellence and leadership, Sigma chapter development staff members have met virtually with ELNEC leaders to explain Sigma membership and chapter development. Click here for more information about the End-of-Life Education Consortium. RNL