“As our populations age and grow, the number of people around the world facing serious illness is greatly expanding. Pain, symptom burdens, emotional distress, and existential concerns are common during this time of life. Palliative care education can improve the quality of life for patients and their loved ones by providing professionals with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to effectively address these concerns while compassionately communicating about hopes, goals, and wishes.” This meaningful statement not only summarizes this week’s Palliative Care (ELNEC) seminar, which took place from November 3 to 9, 2024, but also emphasizes the importance of the field.
ELNEC is an initiative to teach palliative care staff with the goal that these educators in turn train others, resulting in extensive knowledge sharing. According to ELNEC, “Nurses spend more time with patients who are facing the end of life than any other member of the healthcare team. Yet, studies have shown that many nurses feel inadequately prepared to provide the comprehensive care so important at the end of life.” Due to this reason, OMI and ELNEC believe that training nurses to be excellent care providers is crucial.
Five specialists came together to help 32 fellows thrive in their careers. Dr. Judith A. Paice from Northwestern University, Illinois, served as course director and Dr. Carrie L. Cormack from the Medical University of South Carolina fulfilled the role of co-course director. Dr. Patrick J. Coyne from the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Sarah Lowry from Oregon Health and Science University, and Nicoleta Mitrea from the Nursing Hospice “Casa Sperantei”, Brasov, Romania, made up the remaining cohort.
Dr. Paice explains in a lively tone that she enjoys teaching others. She expands on the notion by describing why she chooses to teach pro-bono at the OMI for the tenth time: “The ELNEC faculty are passionate about sharing their expertise about palliative care with participants at the Open Medical Institute and believe that it is a gift to be included in this important work.”
The schedule was a unique blend of 12 didactic lectures including touching videos and an overview of ELNEC, reflection rounds, three labs, a leadership workshop, and of course the fellows’ country-specific presentations. Some of the lectures were split into two groups, one for adult caretakers and one for pediatric caretakers. This provided in-depth patient care-centered learning experiences for the fellows.
The three interactive lab sessions each focused on a different aspect of palliative care. During the Pain Lab, as well as the Symptom Management Lab, challenges, cases, and practice assessment/ treatment plans were discussed. The Communication Lab included a discussion of participants’ challenges, listening exercises, role play, SBAR, NURSE, “I wish”, and a family meeting. The leadership workshop focused on fellows’ roles in leadership positions in their home countries. They discussed challenges, improvements in care for their patients and their families, accessibility of care, and their desired clinical impact.
The fellows not only had a busy intellectual schedule, but they were also given opportunities to explore the city of Salzburg during their free time, listen to a classical music concert, and network with each other. As this week was specifically geared towards nurses, the participants eagerly exchanged stories about their experiences and treatment methods from their 10 different home countries. What an exciting week!
Estela Skermo
OMI fellow from Albania
“Dr. Paice showed us reliable websites to find palliative care resources. It was a golden opportunity to attend her lectures because she is an excellent role model who inspires you.”
Ludmila Postica
OMI fellow from Moldova
“We met in small groups to discuss our plans for implementing and disseminating ELNEC in our home countries, addressing current barriers to care, and developing an action plan. These discussions were beneficial and interesting.”
Adéla Novotná
OMI fellow from Czech Republic
“I received a lot of new and useful information, which I plan to apply in my home country. My favorite topics were leadership skills and communication tools.”
