Ep. 31 - The Role and Professional Standards of the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner in Hospice and Palliative Care

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Heather Coats and Dr. Kelly Henrichs. Moderated by Dr. Betty Ferrell, this episode discusses the adult-gerontology nurse practitioner's role in hospice and palliative care. Listen in as Heather and Kelly touch on common areas for the nurse practitioner, examples of when two APRNs work together to care for a patient, the differences between primary and specialty care, and more. 

This podcast episode coincides with an article written by Heather and Kelly in the June 2024 issue of the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing. 1. Coats, Heather PhD, APRN-BC; Henrichs, Kelly DNP, RN, GNP-BC. The Role and Professional Standards of the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner in Hospice and Palliative Care. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing 26(3):p 116-121, June 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000001025.

Resources from the Episode:

• ACHPN® Credential
• AACN Call for Action: Nurses Lead and Transform Palliative Care
• ANA Call to Transform Palliative Care

About the Speakers:

Moderator: Dr. Betty Ferrell, PhD, MSN, RN, CHPN®, FAAN, FPCN, Director of Nursing Research & Education and Professor, City of Hope 

Featuring:  Dr. Heather Coats, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, Director of Research, HPNA, and Assistant Professor, University of Colorado College of Nursing  Dr. Kelly Henrichs, DNP, RN, GNP-BC, Specialty Director, AGPCNP Program, Associate Professor, University of Colorado College of Nursing    Dr. Henricks  works at CU as an associate professor, where she has taught for nearly 10 years and her clinical specialty is Gerontology. She was recently appointed the specialty director of the Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program at CU and teaches across the undergraduate and graduate program. Her research interests are focused on older adults, and how to shift nursing student attitudes toward them. She is passionate about improving care and outcomes for the older adult population. She currently practices in the UCHealth Senior's Clinic as a nurse practitioner. 

Dr.  Coats, PhD, APRN-BC, FPCN, FAAN is Director of Research for Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and faculty at the University of Colorado, College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, CO. With a well-founded base of palliative, oncology, and hospice care spanning over 26 years, Heather is sought out as a researcher, teacher, and consultant to nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals. She has been in numerous leadership positions and developed national/international recognition through her impact on the PC/EOL field. Heather is a well-known palliative care nurse leader who has communicated extensively through her publications, presentations and consultations with patients, families, and clinicians on the importance of palliative care for individuals living with serious illness.   

Nationally, she was invited to the prestigious keynote at the AAHPM/HPNA National Assembly to present the “State of the Science” for three years, and a subsequent keynote for the HPNA Clinical Practice Forum. She was the 2021 HPNA Vanguard recipient, is a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing, and a Fellow of the Western Academy of Nurses, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Internationally, she has been invited to both India and Japan to share her knowledge and expertise in PC/EOL nursing.  Her program of research which investigates the use of person-centered narrative interventions to improve communication between patients, family caregivers, and clinicians has been funded by NIH and the Cambia Health Foundation. In 2015, she earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of Arizona, College of Nursing, earned her master’s in nursing: Adult Nurse Practitioner from the University of Colorado, College of Nursing in 2006, and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Arkansas, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing in 1996.