IAHPC Traveling Scholars
Thoughts of Nurse Odette Gracea, Romania, about her Travel to the EAPC Meeting in Aachen, Germany as one of the IAHPC Travelling Scholars.
After I returned home to Romania after the EAPC Congress in Aachen , I started to think, “How can I help with the development of a palliative care nursing education program?” Currently in Romania a palliative care curriculum in the public education system does not exist. One of the workshops I attended was titled “How to establish a palliative care program.” It was particularly useful to me because it made me realize that I must go to our University and attempt to make it clear to them how important it is to implement a palliative care education program.
Currently my goals are to develop, with your (IAHPC) help, and under the supervision of Dr. Daniela Mosoiu, a palliative care curriculum for nurses, adapted to Romanian cultural and social context. The curriculum must break down and rationalize many things that are not easily taught in lectures, like how to teach empathy, active listening, communication, presence, wisdom, etc. Romanians are not used to this kind of teaching.
I’m still overloaded after the Achen experience. On the one hand, I feel like I need time to digest all of the information I received, while on the other hand, I feel like I don't have enough time to do what I want. I feel like the IAHPC placed a small seed in my mind and I have the duty to care for it and not let it die.
Sincerely
Odette Gracea
Romania
IAHPC Traveling Scholar goes to Korea
Thanks to the support through an IAHPC Traveling Scholarship Program, I was able to participate in the 2nd Global Summit of National Hospice and Palliative Care Associations, organized by Help the Hospices in Seoul , Korea , on March 15 and 16, 2005. This meeting was useful to learn about the different realities, achievements, challenges and problems colleagues from other countries face and to discuss proposals and future strategies to strengthen the development of palliative care associations in our countries. The meeting participants wrote and signed the Korea Declaration which was published in this Newsletter's last edition. Because of all of the above, my trip was a very enriching experience and I am sure it will contribute in a significant way to the development of palliative care in Uruguay . The trip was also a great opportunity to meet exceptional people who are doing wonderful work in many countries, and a strong stimulus to continue doing our job. I am very grateful to IAHPC for giving me this opportunity. Without this support, I would have never been able to attend such meeting.
Dr. Eduardo Garcia Yanneo
IAHPC Traveling Scholar to Korea.
Montevideo, Uruguay
April 2005.
|
