Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021
Learning Objectives and Assignment Overview
Modules Topical Outlines
Module 1 Week 1
Foundations of Palliative Care What is palliative care?
Week 2
Introduction to palliative care and
hospice
Week 3
Cultural and spiritual
considerations for palliative care
Module 2 Week 4
Physical Assessment and Disease identification for a
Symptom Management seriously ill patient
Week 5
Discussion board 3
Pain identification and
management
Current Assignments
 Discussion board 1
 ELNEC Module 1
 Discussion board 2
 Reflection 1
 Reflection 2
 ELNEC Module 2
 Case study
Modified Assignments
 Journal 1
 Pre- (Cumulative) Quiz
 ELNEC Peds. Module 1:
Introduction to Pediatric
Palliative Nursing Care
 ELNEC Peds. Module 2:
Perinatal and Neonatal
Palliative Care
 Journal 2
 ELNEC Peds. Module 5:
Cultural and Spiritual
Consideration in Pediatric
Palliative Care
 Reflection 1
 Final project part 1: identify
and gather relevant
components of the project
needed, and reflect on
purpose and projected
outcomes
 Journal 3
 Reflection 2
 ELNEC Peds. Module 6:
Pain Management in
Palliative Care
 Case Study 1
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

Week 6  ELNEC Module 3  ELNEC Peds. Module 7:

 Case study Symptom Management
Symptom identification and  Case Study 2
management
Module 3 Week 7  Case study  Journal 4 (video of an
 Discussion board 4 example of effective
Communication Related to End of life discussion communication to
Ethical Issues and End of Life family/parents)
Discussions  Case Study 3

 Final project part 2:

complete collection of
resources, contacts, and
interviews
Week 8  ELNEC Module 4  ELNEC Peds. Module 3:
 Discussion board 5 Communication in Pediatric
Effective communication Palliative Care

 Journal 5 (video of an
example of effective age-
appropriate communication
for pediatric)
Week 9  Reflection 3  ELNEC Peds. Module 4:
Ethical/legal Considerations
Ethical issues of the seriously ill in Pediatric Palliative Care
and/or dying patients  Reflection 3
Module 4 Week 10  ELNEC Module 5  ELNEC Peds. Module 9:
 Discussion board 6 Care at the Time of Death in
Principles of End-of-Life Care Final hours Pediatric Palliative Care
for the Patient and Family
 Journal 6
Week 11  Discussion board 7  Journal 7

Family and caregiver support

system
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

Week 12  ELNEC Module 6  ELNEC Peds. Module 8-

Loss, Grief, and
Loss, grief, and bereavement Bereavement in Pediatric
Palliative Care
 Reflection 4
Module 5 Week 13  Discussion board 8  **optional** Journal (use
for preparation for final
Embracing the “Call to Serve” Team approach to palliative care assignment)
with Palliative Care nursing
Week 14
 Journal 8
Caring for the clinician
Week 15  Quiz  Post- (Cumulative) Quiz
 Simulation and assignment  Final project part 3: final
Call to serve presentation

Proposed Evaluation Methods (created with Dr. Smith while considering grading criteria and rubrics in place for her current course)

Evaluations Method Percentage of Grade Assessment Criteria

Journal # 1-8 24% Journal Rubric
(3% x 8 = 24%
Reflection #1-4 16% Reflection rubric (use the one from
(4% x 4 = 16%) NUR4330F)
Case Study # 1-3 15% Case Study Rubric (use the one from
(5% x 3 = 15%) NUR4330F)
Successful completion of 7 ELNEC 21% Completion of the course module
Modules (3% x 7 = 21%) transcript; required 80% or better
Pre-Cumulative Quiz 1% Answer Key (use the one from
NUR4330F)
Post-Cumulative Quiz 2% Answer Key (use the one from
NUR4330F)
Pediatric Palliative Care Assignment 21% Pediatric Palliative Care Assignment
*three parts* (7% x 3 = 21%) Rubric (would need to be created)
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

Potential Faculty
Dr. Diane Smith

Description
This independent study has been developed with the intention of it acting as a sister course to Dr. Smith’s Palliative/Hospice elective.
Dr. Smith developed this course over two years and dedicated much time and effort to ensure all nursing considerations were explored
and addressed. With her help and consent, I have applied the syllabus she developed for her course and made modifications to the
course objectives, content, and assignments in order to shift the focus from an adult and geriatric population to a neonatal and
pediatric population. The rough overview outlined in this proposal takes Dr. Smith’s module objectives, weekly objectives, and
assignments and adapts them to an independent study curriculum. When compared to her syllabus, the overarching modules and
structure of the course remains the same (including the weekly objectives). These topics are broad, yet descriptive, enough for me to
apply the various developmental stages to the neonatal/pediatric population. Modifications would be made to the course assignments,
the course content, and the student evaluation methods (as this is an independent course and the student is responsible for his/her
evaluation). My overview provides an outline for when assignments would be due (based on each week—specific day would be the
standard Saturday by 11:59PM of that week). Three hours per week would be dedicated to this course through completing weekly
readings, modules, and assignments (evaluation methods). Estimates: readings/articles and journal entries (1 hours), ELNEC modules
(1 to 2 hours), reflections (1 hours), case studies (1 to 2 hours), final project part 1, part 2, part 3 (individually—1.5 to 2 hours).
Further detail outlining course content, accompanying assignments, and evaluation methods can be found below in the “proposed
evaluation methods” section.

Course Objectives (copied and modified from NUR4330F syllabus)

Upon completion of the course, the student will:
1. Discuss the need for palliative care in seriously ill neonatal and pediatric patients and their families as an essential part to
quality care and an integral component of nursing care.
2. Compare ethical, cultural, and spiritual values and beliefs about serious illness and death for neonatal and pediatric patients
and their family.
3. Describe effective, compassionate communication to help neonatal and pediatric patients and families understand and cope
with issues/concerns associated with serious illness.
4. Apply the nursing process with a focus on interviewing and clinical examination skills necessary to recognize symptoms
common in serious illness with focus on neonatal and pediatric patients.
5. Present rationale to advocate for seriously ill neonatal and pediatric patients and their families to receive palliative care.

Course Content
Course content would come from various (reliable and pre-approved) journal articles, the ELNEC modules (core modules and
pediatric modules), suggested videos for ELNEC courses (provided by City of Hope and the AACN), and community resources (i.e.
Noah’s Children).
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

Course Assignments
In the overview table I have laid out, you will notice I included a “current assignments” column and a “modified assignments”
column. Dr. Smith and I met on March 15 over zoom and discussed some ideas for assignments that could be applied to the neonatal
and pediatric population; additionally, we considered various ways I could evaluate myself and reflect on these assignments. Dr.
Smith includes 8 discussion boards, 6 End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) modules, 3 reflections, 3 case studies,
two quizzes, and a final project in her assignment lineup for the semester.
Since this would be an independent study and the course would be tailored to me as an individual rather than a group, my
thought was, rather than having those 8 discussion boards, I would substitute 8 journal entries that answer the discussion board
question while incorporating my weekly course content (i.e. journal articles, research, videos, etc.). The discussion boards-now-
journal entries would allow me to still reap the benefits of a discussion board while individually reflecting (since there is no one to
discuss with) on what I’ve learned, its relevance to the course, and how it is applicable to nursing.
The ELNEC modules come from the ELNEC project. “This project was founded in 2000 and developed by City of Hope and
the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) with the goal of providing education and training to nurses and healthcare
professionals on core areas of focus in end-of-life and palliative care. As of January 2021, 39,915 individuals have completed ELNEC
courses, and within this population, 1,041 undergraduate and graduate schools of nursing utilize ELNEC courses and over 57,484
nursing students have completed ELNEC courses” (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, 2021). Dr. Smith is one that
incorporates the ELNEC [core] modules into her course and curriculum. A majority of my course content would utilize these core
modules in addition to the offered ELNEC pediatric modules. Each module (from the core and pediatric curriculum) lines up with a
weekly objective. An example of my how I thought to incorporate these modules in line with the weekly objectives: week 2 objective
is “introduction to palliative care and hospice,” so the related ELNEC modules are ELNEC core module 1 “introduction to palliative
care nursing” and ELNEC pediatric module 1 “introduction to pediatric palliative care nursing.” To evaluate my learning from these
modules I would create a template that required me to reflect via comparing and contrasting core palliative care to pediatric palliative
care. An 80% or above would be required on the ELNEC module transcript and a rubric would be provided to evaluate my
completion of the reflection template.
The case studies would be on focused on pediatric patients across different age groups (i.e. a 5 year old, an 11 year old, and an
18 year old). By considering three various age groups, I could explore, research, and understand the different considerations that need
to be made based on the level of understanding and development of that particular child.
Dr. Smith and I developed an idea for the final project in order to incorporate all the skills and information learned throughout
the semester. I introduced the idea of creating a pamphlet that would serve as an education resource to a targeted group
working/dealing with this vulnerable population. Components of the pamphlet would include various services, organizations, and
contacts in order to create a singular reference which includes where to locate these resources, how they can help/what they have to
offer, and how to contact them (resources may include a hospice doctor, NICU nurses, chaplains, providers, and/or case workers). It
was also suggested this project be broken into three parts over the course of the semester (the weeks when part 1, 2, and 3 are due are
stated in the outline under the “modified assignments” column). This would allow time for me to contact and interview individuals,
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

organize gathered information, and create a final presentation to present to my identified targeted population (i.e. NICU physicians,
the College of Nursing professors, or the College of Nursing students).

Student Evaluation Methods

Evaluation methods are one component to assess my understanding and ability to apply the course material. To further detail
assessment and evaluation methods, I am going to briefly detail and explain components of the “proposed evaluation methods” table.
For the discussion boards-now-journal entries, I would answer question prompts in a journal that required evaluation and
consideration of assigned readings for that week (i.e. the previously mentioned journal articles or videos) and their application to
nursing practice. The grading criteria and objectives for this assignment would be outlined in a journal entry rubric. The ELNEC
modules are evaluated upon completion with the verifying certificate uploaded to blackboard. The case studies will be evaluated in
an appropriate case study rubric, similar to the one used by Dr. Smith in her course. The final project will be split into three parts to
ensure adequate time is given to the student (me) to complete all given components of the project. What is due in each part of the
project is outlined in the “modified assignment” column. To meet the end result of an educational pamphlet, part one focuses on
identifying and gathering relevant components of the project needed (i.e. people to contact, how to reach them, relevant resources and
research, etc.), and to reflect on the purpose and projected outcomes of this project and how I anticipate it will impact my nursing
practice and care. Part two is set to be due around mid-term and focuses on completing my collection of resources, contacts, and
interviews (at this point all I should need to do is make the pamphlet). Finally, part three is the presentation of the completed
pamphlet to a group of individuals that could realistically apply the offered information in the pamphlet. Each part of this final project
will have a rubric to evaluate the level of work put in, but the third rubric will have an additional section to evaluate how well
components from part one and part two fit into the pamphlet.
 Natalie King Independent Study Proposal for Fall 2021

References

End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium. (2021, January). End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) [PDF file].
American Association of Colleges of Nurses. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/ELNEC/PDF/ELNEC-Fact-Sheet.pdf