The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project is a national education initiative whose mission is to improve
palliative care
Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...
.
The project provides an undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty, CE providers, staff development educators, specialty nurses in
pediatrics,
oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος ('' ...
,
critical care, and
geriatrics
Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros ...
, and other nurses with training in palliative care so they can teach this information to nursing students and practicing nurses. ELNEC is a partnership between the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Washington, DC and the City of Hope, Duarte, CA. The project provides undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty, CE providers, staff development educators, specialty nurses in pediatrics, oncology, critical care, and geriatrics, and other nurses with palliative care training. Once trained, these healthcare professionals go on to teach this essential information to nursing students and practicing nurses. The project, which began in February 2000, was initially funded by a major grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), US Cancer Pain Relief Committee, the Aetna, Archstone, Oncology Nursing, California HealthCare, Milbank, Stupski, Open Society, and Cambia Health Foundations, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have provided additional funding.
Current Status
To date, over 22,300 nurses and other healthcare professionals representing all 50 US states, plus 96 international countries, have received ELNEC training through these national courses and are sharing this new expertise in educational and clinical settings. ELNEC Trainers are hosting professional development seminars for practicing nurses, incorporating ELNEC content into nursing curriculum, hosting regional training sessions to expand ELNEC's reach into rural and underserved communities, presenting ELNEC at national and international conferences, coordinating community partnerships, and improving the quality of nursing care in other innovative ways. It is estimated that since its inception ELNEC trainers have returned to their institutions and communities and have trained over 670,000 nurses and other healthcare providers.
Courses offered
Currently offering: ELNEC-Advanced Practice Register Nurse (APRN), ELNEC-Core, ELNEC-Critical Care, ELNEC-Geriatric, ELNEC- Oncology APRN, ELNEC-Pediatric Palliative Care
Previously offered: ELNEC- Public Hospitals, ELNEC- Veterans Affairs, DNP Palliative Oncology Care
ELNEC also operates courses internationally and the curricula has been translated into other languages. Faculty members have traveled to 6 continents with participants representing 96 countries.
Administration
The ELNEC project is administered by the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is a national organization of nurses in the United States that is dedicated to advancing nursing education. It was established in 1969, and represents nursing schools at 840 universities and ...
(AACN),
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, and the
City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate school located in Duarte, California, United States. The center's main campus resides on of land adjacent to the boundaries of Duarte and Irwindale, with ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, CA and the faculty includes a national cadre of nursing leaders in palliative care. Betty Ferrell is the Principal Investigator of ELNEC and the Director of Nursing Research & Education and Professor at City of Hope. The ELNEC Project Directors are Rose Virani and Pam Malloy. ELNEC is also supported by a support staff team of project coordinators at City of Hope.
References
{{reflist
External links
ELNEC's Official Website
Palliative care