For Immediate Release
                                                                                          Thursday, April 17, 2008

 

The Norma F. Pfriem International Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing

 

Branford, Connecticut — The Connecticut Hospice, Inc., the nation’s 1st hospice, proudly announces the certification of 14 nurses from its first class of The Norma F. Pfriem International Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Funded by a generous grant merited by the Connecticut Hospice’s long-standing reputation for its leadership as the premiere institute for education and training in hospice and palliative care.  The Fellowship was established at the
Connecticut Hospice state-of-the-art teaching institution, with its 52 bed inpatient hospice-
hospital for adults and pediatrics and its complementary statewide hospice home care in 2005.  This fifteen month intensive program focuses on principles of palliative care; interdisciplinary team approach to patient and family; core concepts of symptom management, and pharmacology.  Hospice physicians and nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers and guest lecturers lead monthly interdisciplinary seminars,  followed by case studies and peer discussion. Clinical concepts are then applied in both the hospital and in home care, with senior nurses serving as preceptors to the Fellows.

Professor Marilyn Harris, RN, MSN, CNAA, BC, FAAN and Editor of Health Care Administration and Honorary Chair of the of The Norma F. Pfriem International Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Nursing states, “since it’s founding in 2005, I have the opportunity to work with the administration, staff, and Fellows, participate in some of the educational programs, and celebrate the successful certification of the Fellows as Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. The patients and their families at The Connecticut Hospice are blessed to receive care and caring from the staff. The staff, in return, is blessed by the patients and families for whom they provide professional care at such an important time of their lives. It is my pleasure to offer congratulations to each Fellow who attained national recognition through the certification process.”  In June 2008 another group of 38 fellows complete the 15 month program and  become eligible for national examination and certification .

Program director, Marianne Treantafilos, M.S.N., A.P.R.N. and Vice-President of Clinical Services, Sandy Klimas, R.N., B.S.N., M.P.H., share Professor Harris’ enthusiasm at the success of the Fellowship. “The entire professional community at Connecticut Hospice has been enriched by participation in the Fellowship.  Precepting and lecturing by the interdisciplinary team is in itself a means of learning, and engenders a spirit of renewed commitment to our organizational mission to provide quality of life, comfort and dignity to patients and families, based on the newest knowledge and provided by the most highly skilled professionals.

Most of all, the journey that each one of our patients and family are on, is made better by the knowledge and enhanced compassionate care that the staff may bring, following this program.”

 

Contact:           mtreant@hospice.com
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