Understanding primary palliative nursing education in undergraduate nursing programs

Nurses are the largest segment of health care professionals and often the first one to interact with individuals about their health and illness. Ensuring nurses have the education to care for individuals with serious illness is essential to quality health care. The new AACN Essentials: Competencies for Professional Nursing Education delineates hospice/palliative/supportive care as one of four spheres of nursing care. Surveying undergraduate schools/colleges of nursing in Massachusetts about content pertaining to care of individuals with serious illness provides the foundation for a state strategy to ensure quality primary palliative education for undergraduate nursing students. A Massachusetts statewide college/school of nursing survey approach to assessing primary palliative nursing education within undergraduate baccalaureate nursing curricula was performed from June 2020 to December 2020. Because the project was a collaboration with the Deans of the college/school of nursing, the survey identified the programs. Survey results revealed that only a small number of Massachusetts nursing programs are preparing nurses with specific and formal primary palliative nursing education. However, programs are open to support and resources. The survey provided information to inform a successful strategy to support primary palliative nursing education within Massachusetts undergraduate baccalaureate nursing curricula. A survey approach can serve as a model for other states. •The AACN Essentials-Competencies for Professional Education now recognizes the specialty of palliative nursing.•Hospice/palliative/supportive care is one of four spheres of nursing education.•No national data exists on current undergraduate palliative nursing education to meet these competencies.•An undergraduate nursing survey guides state strategy for palliative nursing education and faculty support.•Collaborative efforts are essential to ensure quality undergraduate palliative nursing education.