Pain and Palliative Care Nursing- A Professional Journey of a Life Well Lived

Kathleen McDevitt, APRN, MSN, AOCN, BC-ACHPN
Manager, Pain and Palliative Care Program
Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA

Background:

Kathleen McDevitt has spent a career in nursing in a wide variety of positions that eventually led her to work with the sickest of the sick~ those who are at the end of treatment options and facing death. She is an example of an advanced practice nurse who has made a difference in countless people’s lives through her combination of knowledge, skill and deep compassion.

She is a graduate of the College of New Jersey, University of Pennsylvania, and has a post master’s certificate from Penn in Hospice and Palliative Care. She has also studied at Memorial Sloane Kettering in NYC. Her outstanding work has won numerous  awards over the past 30 years. She is an example of a nurse who has trained countless others of all disciplines in how to best meet the needs of patients and families in crisis.

Overview:

The practice of pain and palliative care nursing requires knowledge, skill and the ability to listen and empathize with patients and families.  Assisting with supporting patients, families and the clinical team in making critical decisions in the course of treatment, the withholding of treatment and how to allow people to have control over their lives while facing devastating illness, takes a special person to keep it all in balance.

3 Key Points:

1. Pain and palliative care nursing is a team effort
2. Choosing this course for a career has both challenges and rewards
3. Developing new practitioners in the field through an educational program is discussed