Schedule

Registration
Exhibits and Coffee

Opening Keynote Address: The Imperative of Education for Every Palliative Care Nurse

Presented by: Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD, MA, CHPN®, FAAN, FPCN®

Providing education to patients, families, the public, and colleagues is the responsibility of every palliative care nurse. In this keynote address, Dr. Ferrell will share 25 years of providing palliative care education through the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) and lessons for all nurses for using education as a force of improving care.

Talk the Talk, Heal the Heart: Improving Refugee Care Through Better Communication

Presented by: Sharon Bigger, PhD, MA, RN, CHPN®, CNE; Katherine Doyon, PhD, MED RN, CHPN®; Alice Mwamba, SN; Adebusola O-Adeyemi, SN; and Hannya Ornelas, SN

Professional interpreters play a vital role in refugee health care by ensuring accurate communication, fostering informed decision-making, and building trust. Language barriers impact access and quality of care, particularly for refugees with serious illnesses and at end of life. To address these challenges, a 13-member expert panel of refugees, interpreters, and clinicians developed Best Practice Guidelines for Using Interpreters through the Delphi Method. Recommendations include routinely assessing interpreter needs, avoiding family as interpreters, and briefing interpreters before sensitive conversations. By integrating interpreters as core team members, clinicians can reduce health disparities, improve care quality, and enhance outcomes for refugee patients with serious illnesses.

HPNA Update and Lunch
Exhibits, and Poster Sessions

Ventilator Withdrawal + Palliative Sedation: A Complicated Case Study  

Presented by: Holli Martinez MSN, FNP-BC, ACHPN®, FPCN® 

Hans, an avid outdoorsman, developed severe foodborne botulism, resulting in quadriplegia and ventilator dependence. Unable to regain meaningful communication beyond hand squeezes, he expressed that life-prolonging measures were only acceptable if recovery to his active lifestyle was possible. After neurologists confirmed this was unattainable, Hans chose comfort care. To ensure his symptoms were well managed, palliative sedation was initiated and maintained during ventilator withdrawal, ensuring comfort through his final stages. This session will emphasize best practices in palliative care, focusing on a hospital-wide ventilator withdrawal protocol, and the thoughtful application of palliative sedation.

Maximizing Team Dynamics to Provide High-Quality Patient Care and Reduce Clinician Burnout 

Presented by: Danielle Foti DiGennaro, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN® and Lydia Weiss, DNP, APNP, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN®, CCRN 

Hospice and palliative nursing is deeply meaningful—and deeply demanding. Burnout in this field, particularly among nurses, threatens not only individual well-being but also the quality and consistency of patient care. This session addresses the systemic and interpersonal contributors to burnout and offers practical, evidence-based strategies to foster team resilience and a healthier work environment. Learners will explore the role of mentorship, boundary-setting, and team culture in mitigating stress, as well as tools such as mindfulness, access to mental health support, debriefing practices, sustainable workloads, and flexible scheduling. The session will also introduce the use of burnout surveys to assess team health and emphasize the importance of celebrating successes and cultivating gratitude in the workplace.

Mindful Magic: Exploring Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy 

Presented by: Kathryn L. Tucker, JD and Hannah Whitmore, PhD, RN, CHPN®

Discover the transformative potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy in the field of hospice and palliative care. This innovative session explores the emerging research, rapidly evolving law and policy governing, ethical considerations, and practical applications of psychedelics to support patients facing serious illness and end-of-life challenges. Attendees will gain insight into how these therapies are being integrated into care models to address complex emotional and spiritual needs, reduce anxiety, and improve quality of life. Through case studies, expert perspectives, and interactive discussions, participants will leave equipped with knowledge about this groundbreaking approach to compassionate care.

Fast and Furious: From Brainstorming to Rapid Prioritization 

Presented by: Sarah Klotz, DNP, MBA, FNP-C and Mackenzie Nunley, MBA-HM, BSN, RN 

In a rapidly changing environment, team alignment and prioritization are essential to improving the delivery of care. This interactive session will guide learners through a team brainstorming session using an affinity diagram tool and progresses to a sorting activity that rapidly aligns the team on priorities. Learners will leave feeling engaged and interested in learning more about leading performance improvement activities.

Attendees will be placed into groups of 6-10 to build a table affinity diagram in response to a hospice problem statement. The activity will then progress to a rapid exercise that creates team consensus around prioritization using a sorting activity.

HPNF To Infinity and Beyond Reception

Join the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation for an out-of-this-world evening. HPNF will celebrate the dedication of hospice and palliative care nurses with a stellar signature cocktail, cosmic bites, and intergalactic fun. Come unwind under the stars, connect with fellow nurses, and launch into a night of appreciation, laughter, and adventure—because your care knows no bounds!

powered by Empower

Exhibits and Coffee

Priming the Line for Upstream Outpatient Palliative Care

Presented by: Shena Gazaway PhD, RN, CHPN® and Rachel Wells, PhD, RN 

Missed appointments in outpatient palliative care—often reaching rates as high as 60%—disrupt continuity, strain health care systems, and negatively affect patient and family outcomes. This session will examine the current evidence on no-shows, cancellations, and missed opportunities in outpatient palliative care settings. The presenters will offer a comprehensive review of the state of the science, focusing on patient-related, system-level, and logistical drivers of attendance gaps. Actionable strategies to improve visit adherence and enhance care delivery will be shared. A real-world case study, introduced at the outset and woven throughout the presentation, will ground these insights in clinical practice, offering practical takeaways for both clinicians and administrators.

Pharm-ucation Across Settings: Navigating Deprescribing, SUD Management & Palliative Sedation

Presented by: Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, FAAHPM and Alexandra L. McPherson PharmD, MPH

In this dynamic case-based pharmacology session, Drs. Mary Lynn and Alex McPherson will guide attendees through the intricacies of managing pharmacological care across three critical care settings, including:

• Deprescribing practices in hospice care
• Strategies for managing substance use disorder (SUD) in outpatient palliative care, and
• The proper use of palliative sedation in inpatient settings

This engaging conversation will offer practical insights and evidence-based approaches to optimize patient comfort while ensuring safe, compassionate, and effective care.

Closing Session: Mentorship in Action: Elevating Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing Practice

Presented by: Kathy Perko, MS, PPCNP-BC, CHPPN®, CPON, CPLC, FPCN®, FAPHON

This session will discuss the crucial role of mentorship in elevating hospice and palliative care nursing practice. It will explore the importance of mentorship in fostering professional growth, improving patient care, and addressing the unique challenges faced by nurses in this field. It will provide practical strategies for establishing effective mentor-mentee relationships, promoting continuous learning, and creating a supportive work environment that encourages personal and professional development.

Wrap Up