This Nursing World Shared Practice Forum explores end-of-life care simulation and skills education, designed to strengthen acute care nurses’ clinical skills, communication abilities, and resilience. The panel discusses the inspiration and evolution of the program, its target audience, course structure, high-fidelity simulation experiences, and methods used to evaluate outcomes. Speakers highlight how simulation provides a psychologically safe environment for nurses to practice difficult conversations. They also share lessons learned from implementing the program and offer practical guidance for organizations and nurse leaders considering similar initiatives.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe the rationale and inspiration for developing a pediatric end-of-life care simulation program
- Identify key components of an effective end-of-life simulation program, including psychological safety, communication skills practice, high-fidelity simulation, and structured debriefing
- Explain how simulation can help nurses develop confidence and skills for difficult end-of-life conversations and emotionally complex clinical situations
- Identify key considerations for developing, evaluating, and sustaining an end-of-life simulation program within a healthcare organization
AUTHORS
Patricia Hickey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Senior Vice President, Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO)
Cardiovascular, Critical Care, Perioperative Nursing/PCO
Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Michele DeGrazia, PhD, RN, NNP-BC, FAAN
Director of Research
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Maternal Child Health Faculty,
Sandra L. Fenwick Institute
Nurse Scientist
Boston Children's Hospital
Dorothy Beke, MS, RN, CPNP-PC/AC, WCC, FAAN
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Nurse Practice Specialist
CICU Mechanical Circulatory Support Nursing Resource
Cardiology Clinic Nurse Practitioner
Heart Center Bereavement Coordinator
Boston Children's Hospital
Annette Imprescia, BSN, RN, CCRN
Clinical Educator
Staff Nurse III
Associate Clinical Director of Nursing
Immersive Design Systems, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Boston Children's Hospital
JoEllen Edson, MSN, RN, CPHON
Professional Development Practitioner
Stem Cell Transplant Unit
Boston Children's Hospital
DATE
Initial publication date: October 13, 2026.
TRANSCRIPT
https://cdn.bfldr.com/D6LGWP8S/as/n9bg8gsrx94phc5338j6v6g/NWSP_Building_Nurse_Resilience_Through_End-of-Life_Care_Training__Hickey_101226
Please visit: http://www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge between healthcare providers around the world caring for critically ill children in all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open-access thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: openpediatrics@childrens.harvard.edu
CITATION
Hickey PA, DeGrazia M, Beke DM, Imprescia A, Marcley S, Edson JE. Building Nurse Resilience Through End-of-Life Care Training. 10/2026. OPENPediatrics. Online Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/openpediatrics/building-nurse-resilience-through-end-of-life-care-training-by-p-hickey-et-al-openpediatrics.
