Pediatric Oncology Nurse and Grief Education

Abstract

There has been an increased interest in the grief experiences of nurses. Unacknowledged, unaddressed compound grief can have devastating consequences on professional nurses and the patients and families under their care. A telephone survey was conducted using the current Children’s Oncology Group institutions in the United States to ascertain what education and support is available to pediatric oncology nurses regarding professional grief. Three questions were asked of the person contacted at the participating institutions regarding grief education during orientation, grief education beyond orientation, and support mechanisms for staff experiencing professional grief. Out of the 176 eligible Children’s Oncology Group institutions that were invited to participate in the survey, 78 institutions participated. The analysis of the results concluded that support for pediatric oncology nurses is often informal and sporadic and that education regarding professional grief is often nonexistent or very limited in its content.