Institute for End of Life Care Education

Overview
End of life care in this country is less than optimal. The College of Nursing at Marquette University is committed to changing the status of end of life care. We believe that a peaceful death with dignity is a right for all persons and want to take action to make that happen. The university’s affirmation of the goodness of life involves maximizing quality of life, including during the final stages of life. The Institute for End of Life Care Education was launched in spring of 2003.

The purpose of the Institute for End of Life Care Education is to improve the quality of care for dying persons and their families.  Persons who are terminally ill have multiple needs involving physical, spiritual, psychosocial, family and economic domains of personhood. The Institute for End of Life Care Education addresses these needs through three avenues: (1) professional education, (2) community education, and (3) research. 

Marquette IELCE/Aurora Visiting Nurses Association
The Marquette College of Nursing Institute for End of Life Care Education and the Aurora Visiting Nurses Association (part of Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) have formed a unique partnership to advance the quality of end of life care. The two organizations are working together to forge new initiatives in care, education and services. 

The Institute for End of Life Care Education offers a multidisciplinary curriculum for the academic and clinical training of end of life care professionals. Aurora Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) provides end of life care services through home hospice and hospice care centers. Its newly established 18-bed hospice facility, the Aurora VNA Zilber Family Hospice in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, is a major initiative that will serve as a national model in hospice care and education. It provides a setting for interdisciplinary teams to plan and deliver care that is tailored to meet the individual needs of patients and their families. The Aurora VNA Zilber Family Hospice is a clinical site for students and faculty. The Institute for End of Life Care Education will provide opportunities for Marquette College of Nursing undergraduate and graduate students to obtain clinical experience by participating on these teams in the planning and delivery of care at the hospice.

This collaborative initiative between Marquette College of Nursing Institute for End of Life Care Education and the Aurora Visiting Nurses Association establishes a new level of care and expertise that is wholly focused on every aspect of need and comfort for the hospice patient and their family. 

Links
Aging with Dignity
www.agingwithdignity.org

Aurora Health Care/VNA
www.aurorahealthcare.org/services/vna

Hospice Foundation of America
www.hospicefoundation.org

International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care
www.hospicecare.com

Physicians for Compassionate Care
www.pccef.org