Seven years and 50 courses later: End-of-life nursing education consortium continues commitment to provide excellent palliative care education

Over the past 7 years, more than 4500 nurses have attended a national ELNEC train-the-trainer course. These trainers have returned to their universities, clinics, acute care facilities, hospices, long-term care/skilled nursing facilities, and home care agencies and disseminated and implemented the ELNEC curriculum throughout their workplace, their community, and the world. They have been able to improve the quality of life and diminish the suffering of those who experience terminal illnesses. These trainers have developed care plans, algorithms, and interdisciplinary teams and have provided education to colleagues to improve the care of the dying and meet the needs of family members. On June 28, 2008, nurses from across the US came to Chicago, IL, to celebrate the 50th national ELNEC train-the-trainer course. This celebration will be the culmination of 7 years of developing six specific curricula to meet the unique educational and clinical needs of nurses in providing excellent palliative care for patients and their families. In addition, it will provide opportunities for nurses to receive an update on palliative care, network with other trainers, see how other nurses are implementing and disseminating ELNEC, and honor those who have made an exceptional contribution to palliative care.