Contact: David West (west@alpha.nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

2/14/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - Beth Fife, an assistant professor of nursing at Northwestern State University, was among 124 nurses from across the country who recently attended a three-day course on end-of-life care held in Pasadena, Calif. Fife was among those competitively selected to participate in the course.

The principal goal of the training program was to provide faculty with information on end-of-life care and resources to integrate end-of-life content into nursing school programs. Course content was presented in several participatory formats including lecture, open forum discussion, small group activities, and training sessions.

The training program was conducted by a distinguished faculty of researchers, educators, authors and leaders in the field of palliative care. Topic areas included nursing care at the end of life; pain and symptom assessment and management; cultural considerations; ethical/legal issues; communication; grief, loss and bereavement; preparation and care for the time of death and achieving quality care at the end of life.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the City of Hope (COH) Cancer Center received a three and a half-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct this training program entitled, "End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium" for undergraduate nursing school faculty members.

Nurses spend more time with patients who are facing the end-of-life than any other member of the health care team. Yet, studies have shown that many nurses feel inadequately prepared to provide the comprehensive care so important at the end-of-life.

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