Current State of Thanatology Education in American Health Professions and an Integrated Model

Abstract

To ascertain the present status, content, and extent of death education, a random sample of seventy-two medical schools, ninety-seven nursing programs, both RN and LPN, and forty-seven programs for social work was undertaken. The list of programs was drawn from the American Academy Directory. Twenty-one percent of the nursing programs require death education and another 21% offer electives on death. In all of the nursing school offerings on death, the psychological perspective is central and there is a strong emphasis on sociological and medical perspectives. Phase One of the proposed program is a required forty-five hour classroom course dealing with death-related issues. In Phase Two, clinical rotations are used to link didactic insights with the experiential aspects of death and dying. Phase Three provides periodic opportunities for those in the three professions to integrate their course and clinical experiences in meetings and panels. Phase Four involves advanced and specialized training in workshops, seminars, and courses.