Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Palliative Care Education and Serious Illness Communication Training for Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Lisa Rauch1, Nancy Dudley, Toby Adelman
1Assistant Professor (Dr Rauch), Professor (Dr Dudley), and Professor Emeritus (Drs Adelman and Canham), The Valley Foundation School of Nursing, San Jose State University, San Jose, California.
Background:
Palliative care is an essential component of community health for a growing population of seriously ill older adults residing in the community. Yet, nursing students are often challenged in initiating and engaging in serious illness conversations.
Purpose:
This study implemented and evaluated an educational activity designed to increase nursing students' skills and self-efficacy to initiate and conduct conversations with patients/clients experiencing serious illness.
Methods:
A mixed-methods approach was used to study how statement cards and prompts facilitated students' readiness to engage in such conversations. A quantitative pre- and posttest survey was used to evaluate self-efficacy and students' perception of their ability to engage in challenging conversations.
Results:
The results indicated a significant increase in student confidence in conducting serious illness conversations.
Conclusion:
Students reported an improved perception of their ability to conduct serious illness conversations and emphasized the need to practice these conversations in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
Continuing Care
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
Aims Of Nursing

