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Major
Nursing
Advisor
Carolyn Hames
Advisor Department
Honors Program
Date
5-2020
Keywords
Thanatolgy, Nurse, End-of-life
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Abstract
A New Nurse Faces Her Fear of End-Of-Life Care
Come join me as I reflect on my journey and share what I have learned from multiple professionals with vast knowledge of thanatology as well as experience caring for patients at the end of life. I will share what I learned about what it takes to be a home care hospice nurse, the job of a palliative care doctor and what URI’s very own senior nursing students have to say about thanatology in their academic program and future careers.
My desire to pursue this project stemmed from a need to learn more about death with dignity than I had in my traditional nursing education. I, like many people, am uncomfortable with the thought of death and caring for a patient in the last days, weeks, or months of life. This fear drove me to create an emotionally challenging project forcing me out of my comfort zone in an effort to learn vitals skills I will need as a nurse.
I believe that some of the most meaningful learning can be obtained from peers. This concept sparked the idea to interview fellow classmates to hear their thoughts and opinions about thanatology and end-of-life care. I was curious about their impression of its inclusion in URI’s nursing program and what curriculum improvements they might suggest related to our death education.
My goal is to continue gaining knowledge and experience in the clinical setting to supplement what I have learned in my quest to conquer my fears and acquire a necessary skill set to care for the dying patient and their family. Here I will share with you what I believe to be the three primary concepts and skills every nurse needs to learn about thanatology and end-of life care.