Professional Growth During and After Completing a Postgraduate Education in Palliative Care - A Qualitative Study

The number of patients requiring palliative care is expected to increase in the future. Nurses represent the largest group of healthcare professionals and provide patient care seven days a week. To deliver high-quality palliative care, nurses need education and training.

This study aimed to explore how newly graduated palliative care nurses experienced and perceived the relevance and impact of their education on professional growth and clinical work during and after completing the postgraduate education.

An exploratory descriptive design was applied using a qualitative method. Five semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with graduated palliative care nurses after returning to clinical work. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation.

Three categories were identified from the analysis: 1) relevant simulation-based learning to boost learning under and after education, 2) an in-depth understanding of holistic care, and 3) awareness of learning as a transformative process.

Nurses' responsibility in situations where futile treatment is continued near the end of life or during transitions to palliative care underscores the need for nurses to possess metacognitive skills, such as critical thinking, in addition to relevant factual knowledge and technical skills. After pursuing a postgraduate education in palliative care, nurses experience professional growth that continues after graduation. The education led to enhanced attention to, and application of, skills essential for metacognition, stimulating critical thinking and impacting their clinical work. As graduated palliative care nurses, they felt valued as resources by their colleagues.