Abstract
Palliative care nurses provide care for patients who live with declining functional capacity and symptoms associated with their illnesses and who, ultimately, face death. Despite a large body of research that provides evidence for the efficacy of palliative care, less is known about those who provide it. This study explores how palliative care nurses understand their role, and what, if any, concerns or needs they have that relate to their ability to provide high-quality palliative care to their patients. We utilize an inductive thematic analysis of qualitative survey responses to gain understanding of palliative nursing practice and competencies to learn more about the particular issues, concerns, and needs of these nurses. Results demonstrated that palliative nurses view end-of-life and palliative nursing competencies as a toolkit they draw upon based on the customized needs of patients and families rather than a ranked list of important skills. Additionally, responses reflected the importance palliative nurses place on interpersonal skills to work with patients and families, physicians, and as a health care team. Finally, respondents overwhelmingly reported concerns about the level of palliative and end-of-life education of their health care professional colleagues. These findings suggest that palliative nurses may be an untapped resource that health care administrators could use to address the growing educational needs of other health care professionals who would benefit from an increased understanding of the benefits of palliative care options. Listening to voices from the bedside is a useful way to learn more about the practice and delivery of palliative care.