Hospice care: a unique clinical experience for MSN students

There are several preconceived notions among members of the nursing profession about hospice care. Among graduate students in nursing, there remains a belief that going to a hospice for clinical experience would be depressing and unrewarding. This paper discusses the learning experiences in the hospice setting and how consistent these are with graduate course objectives, and highlights the positive outcomes of the clinical experience unique to hospice care. This unprecedented recognition that hospice clinical experience brings a re-examination of previous knowledge, values, and concepts among Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students underscores the importance of faculty role in this process. However, these casual observations require systematic characterization and quantification. Indeed, there is tremendous need for educational research in this area.