Date of Award

Spring 5-6-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

<--Please Select Department-->

First Advisor

Dr. Sterling Roberts, DNP, RN, CHSE

Second Advisor

Dr. Sheryl Winn, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC

Third Advisor

Dr. Lawanda Greene, DNP, MPH, APRN, AGACNP-BC

Abstract

Palliative care interventions are in high demand due to patients living longer with chronic, life-limiting conditions. Nursing professionals are instrumental in the care of patients across their lifespan, and it is imperative that they receive end-of-life care training in their respective curriculums. The aims of this project were to 1) implement end-of-life content into an AGACNP program using the ELNEC curriculum and 2) to determine if the simulated environment affects the AGACNP students’ self-confidence and anxiety levels when making clinical decisions for end-of-life patients. As a result of the standardized participant (SP) end-of-life simulation, AGACNP students experienced an increase in self-confidence demonstrated baseline (M 114, SD 26.9) as compared to after the intervention (M 124.8, SD 23.2) t (25) = 3.27, p = .003. The study results also indicated that participants experienced the same level of anxiety before (M 59.2, SD 29.3) and after the interventions (M 59, SD 20.5) t (25) = .098, p = .923, when addressing terminal illness and end-of-life issues. This further confirms the level of uneasiness nurses feel when caring for patients nearing the end of their life. The inclusion of SP simulations related to end-of-life care in nursing curricula will give healthcare providers the confidence they need to make appropriate clinical decisions with terminally ill patients, ultimately improving patient care outcomes.

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