HANGES IN SOCIETY HAVE TRANSFORMED THE EXPERIENCE OF DYING IN AMERICA.
Responding to calls for change in the nursing curricula at the undergraduate and graduate
levels, to ensure that practitioners have the knowledge and skills to care for patients at the end
of their lives, a coalition of professional and consumer organizations has worked to improve the
way individuals die. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are instrumental in caring for the elderly
population. APNs who have excellent knowledge and skills to provide palliative and end-of-life
(EOL) care are needed. THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES AN EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR APN
STUDENTS THAT INVOLVES THE USE OF A COMPLEX STANDARDIZED PATIENT SCENARIO.