People being treated for serious illnesses are often candidates for palliative care, a specialist form of treatment designed to help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve quality of life.
Palliative care is available to people of all ages, but as medical advancements lengthen life spans, the number of people eligible for palliative care services is expected to skyrocket. One study estimates that the number of people age 85 and older needing palliative care will more than double between 2014 and 2040.1 As the demand climbs, RNs experienced in palliative care nursing will be on the front lines helping care for patients with conditions like Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, and cancer.2
To help prepare to care for the older adult population, nurses may choose to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) or Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) specialization.
What Is Palliative Care Nursing?
Typically, there’s a team of professionals who help provide palliative care. This team—which can include doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, nutritionists, and others—provides services that include:2
- Pain and symptom management
- Help developing a care plan
- Care coordination
- Help with insurance forms, advance directives, and portable medical orders (POLSTs)
Nurses and nurse practitioners play key roles on a palliative care team. While nurses use many different skills and competencies, their work in palliative care draws strongly on these three: symptom management, communication, and advocacy.3
“Both palliative and nursing care emphasize comprehensive care supporting the holistic needs of patients and their caregivers, including the assessment and treatment of physical, emotional, and spiritual health,” according to the authors of “Nursing’s Role in Leading Palliative Care: A Call to Action,” published in Nurse Education Today.3
Why Does Palliative Care Nursing Matter?
Nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the United States,4 putting RNs in a unique position to serve the growing need for palliative care. In fact, nurses are often the first to recognize that a patient may need and benefit from palliative care.3
Recognizing the close relationship between nursing and palliative care, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) issued “Call for Action: Nurses Lead and Transform Palliative Care.” 5 In it, they advocate for palliative care services for all who need them, a vision achieved “by the delivery of primary palliative nursing by every nurse, regardless of setting.”5
“The purpose of this call to action is to urge nurses in various roles and settings to lead and transform palliative care in practice, education, administration, policy, and research,” the position paper states. “Every nurse should have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide primary palliative nursing.”5
The two organizations note that medical advancements will allow people of all ages to live longer with serious illnesses and injury. Palliative care and nurses not only matter, but they are essential to improving the quality of life for people across the life spectrum.
“As members of the largest healthcare professionals’ cohort … nurses must be prepared to actively contribute insights about holistic person-centered care, identification, and respect for patient choices, as well as access and provision of palliative care from prenatal to end of life,” the ANA and HPNA write.5
Choose an MSN Degree
Earn an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner degree online or gain knowledge you can apply to another nursing career field in Walden University’s online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program. Walden’s MSN program offers multiple specializations that let you tailor your studies to your career goals.
If you’re interested in direct patient care, you can choose one of Walden’s nurse practitioner specializations: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Primary Care, or Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
If you want to advance into specialty practice, Walden offers these specializations: Nursing Education, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics, and Public Health Nursing.
Walden’s online MSN degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an autonomous accrediting agency. Accreditation signals program quality and assures an educational experience aligned with the demands of the field. Walden’s MSN curriculum also meets American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) standards.
The HLC-accredited university is the No. 1 choice for MSN AGACNP programs in the U.S. Its coursework academically prepares students to sit for both the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) AGACNP board certification exam and the AACN AGACNP exam.
Walden offers expert faculty, high-impact supervised clinical experiences, virtual training opportunities, dedicated practicum support, and more. And its online learning platform provides the flexibility you may need to earn a degree while balancing your personal and professional responsibilities.
Use the knowledge and skills you acquire in a Walden nursing master’s program to make your mark as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, or nursing professional in another dynamic field of practice.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) online degree program. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436458
2Source: www.nia.nih.gov/health/frequently-asked-questions-about-palliative-care
3Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859921
4Source: www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce-fact-sheet
5Source: www.nursingworld.org/~497158/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/health-policy/palliativecareprofessionalissuespanelcallforaction.pdf
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), post-graduate APRN certificate program, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Walden University’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is designed to provide the academic degree required to apply for national certifications. Because no graduate program can guarantee that graduates will achieve national certification, we encourage students to consult the appropriate credentialing center for the specific requirements. It is an individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification as requirements vary widely. Walden makes no representations or guarantee that completion of Walden coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain national certification. For more information about certification programs, students should contact the American Nurses Credentialing Center at www.nursingworld.org/ancc, or other certification websites.
Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.