Thursday, September 16, 2004

Advanced Practice Hospice Nursing

I have started back to school this fall. I've decided to get my Master's in Nursing. There are very few Master's programs in Palliative Care nursing. I suspect there will be many more as nursing schools and medical schools are enlightened as to the significance and the level of knowledge it requires to give quality end of life care. In the meantime, I will have to make do with getting my CNS in Oncology. I was a little less excited than I would like to have been when I went to Orientation today. In my class of ten, I am the only one who is primarily interested in end of life, though there are a few with minor interests in the subject. We have the option of doing some clinical hours this first quarter or waiting and starting them next quarter. Since I will be bombarded with oncology info, I decided to go ahead and start my clinicals. I'm hoping to set up a preceptorship with a woman I've heard runs a five star palliative care program at a nearby hospital. Wish me luck!

5 comments:

Jayla said...

Good luck! You have a special gift with end of life palliative care --sounds like something one would read in a medical fortune cookie (?!?) but it's true! It seems like your calling. Do you believe in that kind of stuff (i.e. having a vocational calling)? I do.

And your lucky numbers for today are 4,8, and 7.

:-)

Melaina RN, PHN, MS, CNS, ACHPN said...

Interesting that you should say that. Just today I was telling my therapist that I need to stay strong, peaceful, and steady like a rock for my patients and their families when they are going through the crisis of death. She asked if I took a similar role when I was growing up in my family. I said, "I guess I tried to be as strong as a rock but I don't think I was helping my family any by it." And she said that often people take their coping skills from childhood and use them in their profession. Like the old saying, "Got lemons? Make lemonade." That makes some sense to me. Though to answer your question, yes, my job definitely feels like a calling.

Jayla said...

Interesting point to consider.

purply_hazy said...

wow... nice move! good luck to your new conquest!

Anonymous said...

I tried to start an account to post comments but this site does not like me for some reason. (This is D your cousin) We really should talk sometime about this subject. I had some experiences that you might find interesting *smile* Oh and *hugs* too!