Thanks to generous funding from the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care and support from ELNEC, City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, CA; the Palliative Care Unit at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India; and St Stephen's Hospital in Delhi, India, ELNEC training was provided to 24 nurses in Vellore, 30 nurses in Delhi, and three physicians.
Faculty included four people from the United States, two from India, and one India-based nurse chaplain from the United States. The faculty members donated their time and expertise; only their transportation and room and board expenses were covered by ELNEC India. The faculty included four nurses (all ELNEC trainers), three chaplains (one of whom is also a nurse), and a palliative care physician with a background in pediatrics.
The ELNEC curriculum and resources offered to the participants provided plenty of substance for their own education and practice, as well as materials for teaching others. In the course of the 3-day training, participants were also involved in various types of learning experiences that provided a model for their future use of the training materials. Breakout sessions in pediatric and geriatric palliative nursing were also offered. Participants included practicing palliative care nurses, nurses interested in palliative nursing, senior nursing staff, and master's-level nursing students who are the future nursing instructors in India. Students came from at least eight different states within India. There are a growing number of well-trained palliative care physicians in India, but there have been few opportunities for nurses to advance their palliative education. ELNEC India has offered a new and valuable opportunity, and it is hoped that the training program will continue, using mostly Indian nurses and others skilled in palliative care with some support from outside India.
To view the original report submitted by Reverend John Lunn from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, and a photograph of the participants, visit the IAHPC online at http://www.hospicecare.com/news/09/02/end_of_life.html.