George Mark Children’s House Launches Pediatric Palliative Nurse Training Program

George Mark Children’s House (GMCH) recently unveiled a pilot training program that aims to grow the pediatric palliative care nursing workforce, in partnership with The California State University (CSU) Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.

The Hearst Foundation partly financed the program with a $150,000 grant.

Establishing the GMCH Pediatric Palliative Care Nursing Education, Training, and Employment Initiative marks a step towards improving access to palliative care for children and families, according to GMCH CEO Shekinah Eliassen. Like many providers, the organization has seen clinician workforce issues take a toll on its ability to meet demand, Eliassen said.

“Our organization, like the rest of the country, is faced with a critical shortage of nurses,” Eliassen said in an announcement. “The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute partnership is an exciting and important investment in the nursing workforce. Together, we will work to ensure more children and families within our organization and beyond can receive the quality care they need and deserve.”

California-based GMCH operates a pediatric palliative care center in the San Leandro area near San Francisco. Established in 2004, the nonprofit provider has since cared for more than 1,000 patients and families coping with complex and chronic medical conditions. GMCH offers hospice, palliative, perinatal, respite and bereavement care, along with art, music and various other therapies.

Children and young adults are among the most underserved populations not only in the United States, but globally.

Roughly 21 million children worldwide have life-limiting conditions, with more than 8 million who could benefit from receiving specialized pediatric palliative care, according to a report from the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. In the United States, upwards of 42,000 deaths occur among youth populations every year, with infants younger than 1-year-old accounting for half of this mortality, researchers found.

Nationwide, cancer and congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities are among the leading causes of death in children between the ages of 1 and 14, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Clinical staffing shortages represent the largest barrier to palliative care, especially for youth populations with severe and terminal conditions, according to GMCH. Other barriers include a lack of awareness among medical professionals, as well as the limited availability of specialized pediatric hospice and palliative care training.

Students at the CSU Shiley Hanes Institute will receive hands-on training from GMCH nursing staff to develop interpersonal and clinical skills in providing this care. Online courses and certification will also be available through the program, with topic areas that include communication, family support, pain and symptom assessment and management, as well as ethical principles and challenges in providing pediatric palliative care.

“We’re thrilled to partner with George Mark Children’s House … to combine our coursework with practical experience for a truly immersive education,” said Brandon McDonald, business development manager at the institute. “This initiative meets a pressing need to raise the profile of pediatric palliative care and grow and equip the next generation of the nursing workforce.”

Recognizing the growing need, more providers and educators are working to expand clinical education in this specialty.

Case in point, Children’s Medical Research, Inc. also established a pediatric palliative care professional training program in August in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. The program extends this training to practicing physicians in pediatrics and family medicine, as well as nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.