AAACN, Nursing Organizations, Continue Work on End-of-Life Care at National Summit

This past fall, 44 professional nursing organizations participated in a follow-up 3-day conference designed to assess each of the organization's efforts to educate nurses around the country about palliative/end-of-life care (P/EOLC) during the past year.

This ongoing project is entitled "The Nursing Leadership Academy for End-of-Life Care," and is coordinated by the Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing (IJHN) in Baltimore, MD. Funding is provided by the Open Society Institute's Project on Death in America. This follow-up meeting was held September 25-27 in Baltimore, MD.

Last year, Johns Hopkins called on professional nursing organizations to participate in this project because they have ready access to nurses as well as a variety of communications tools. In addition, nurses see themselves as advocates and educators for patients and families and are highly trusted by the public.

Work Continues

As with all diverse organizations, progress and accomplishments varied greatly. However, the groups were in unanimous agreement on their common goal of creating "One Vision and One Voice" to educate nurses about P/EOLC issues.

Linda Brixey, RN, and E. Mary Johnson, RN, BSN, C, CNA, have represented AAACN at the Academy since 2002. AAACN's progress in the past year has been steady and impressive. Both Linda and E. Mary have written several articles in Viewpoint and AAACN Education Director Sally Russell is involved in the "End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium" funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Sally has been sharing the teaching modules and critical aspects of end-of-life care in an ongoing series in Viewpoint (see pages 8-10, this issue; also May/June 2003 issue, pp. 5-6).

In addition, AAACN is collaborating on other end-of-life efforts with four other nursing organizations managed by Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc., AAACN's management firm.

Finally, AAACN is including end-of-life sessions at future conferences, including a preconference in Phoenix, AZ, during the 29th Annual Conference, March 18-22, 2004.

Looking Ahead

During the Nursing Leadership Academy meeting this fall, we reviewed the past year's work, renewed our commitment to our shared goal, and restored our energy in continuing this very important work. The added benefit of networking, sharing a few laughs, and holding spirited discussions promoted our sense of hope for the nursing profession overall.

The future of this project will take on a different form by becoming a "Virtual Community of Practice" as we continue discussions and measure our progress via some high-tech electronic communication methods. This virtual community will be made possible through generous grants from both Dell and Microsoft who are providing special software that will allow the work to continue in a focused format with access only by the participants. Johns Hopkins will continue to coordinate the Academy's efforts, which we all realize is vital to the continued success.

As the P/EOLC nursing community continues to refine its charter, collaboration and communication among the nursing representatives toward the goal of "One Vision and One Voice" become increasing important.

As always, AAACN encourages your involvement, ideas, and support. Help us understand what you need to educate patients and families on the critical issues facing the health care delivery system. One need only to reflect on the current controversy involving Terri Schiavo, the brain damaged woman on life support in Florida, as a painful reminder of how much is left to do when it comes to providing compassionate and optimum end of life care.

E. Mary Johnson, RN, BSN, C, CNA

E. Mary Johnson, RN, BSN, C, CNA, is Credentialing Consultant, Cleveland Clinic Foundation for Advanced Practice Nurses, Cleveland, OH; and a AAACN past president. She can be reached at (330) 467-6214 or emjrn@adelphia.net.

Copyright American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Nov/Dec 2003
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