Is palliative care nursing the job for you?

Is a palliative care nurse the job for you? An experienced Marie Curie nurse explains the skills required to support patients at end of life as a palliative care nurse 

Palliative care nursing offers person-centred support to people living with a terminal illness, addressing the physical, emotional and practical needs of patients at any point after a terminal diagnosis.

Palliative care nurses take on a wide variety of responsibilities, adopting a person-centred approach to care that supports the well-being of patients and their families. This can include monitoring symptoms, helping patients adhere to their medication regimes, and supporting them with activities of daily living.
 
Marie Curie nurses and healthcare assistants at the charity care for more than 40,000 people a year who are living with a terminal illness, supporting those who want to be cared for in their own homes or at one of nine Marie Curie hospices in the UK.

We are there for anyone with an illness they are likely to die from – as well as those close to them – including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s and advanced cancer.

At Marie Curie, you will play an important role in helping people living with a terminal illness to be comfortable and to make the most of the time they have left.

Karen Burfitt is Marie Curie associate director, Strategic Partnerships and Services, in the south west and south east of England

This is an abridged version of the article Palliative care: could it be the nursing role for you? which was first published in Nursing Standard. Read the full article to learn more about what the role involves and how to decide if this might be the job for you. 

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