School of Nursing assistant clinical professor Amisha Parekh de Campos, Ph.D., MPH, RN, CHPN, along with senior nursing students Gillian Fulton ’25 (NUR) and Abigail Schwartz ’25 (NUR) recently returned from the End-of-Life Experiential Global Learning (EGL) spring program in Belgium.

This program is part of the Nursing Capstone Course (NURS 4292) and consists of a two-week intensive experience sponsored by the University College of Arteveldehogeschool (Artevelde) in Ghent.

Now in its nineteenth year, the Interdisciplinary Program on Palliative and End-of-Life Care (IPPE) at Artevelde has been refined over the years, with many UConn faculty participating since its inception. The goal of the IPPE is to provide higher education on chronic and end-of-life care from an international, intercultural, and innovative perspective.

Parekh de Campos, who has worked in palliative care for fifteen years, leads the course Multi-Culturalism in End-of-Life Care (1175W), which provides students from both nursing and non-nursing majors an opportunity to learn from a variety of perspectives and lived experiences. As Schwartz and Fulton experienced in Belgium, students gain insights into different practices, traditions, and philosophies concerning end-of-life and palliative care on a global scale. This was the second time Parekh de Campos took senior nursing students to Belgium. This year, she played an active role in curriculum development, teaching, and guiding students in end-of-life practices in the United States.

“Palliative care is undervalued and misunderstood in the United States,” says Parekh de Campos. “Unfortunately, our students do not get much exposure to it. But in the IPPE, they learn about palliative care practices beyond the U.S. – specifically in Belgium – where health care is socialized, and citizens have a right to palliative care by law.”

As an instructor, Parekh de Campos emphasizes the importance of normalizing discourse around death and helping students become more comfortable with concepts related to dying. She encourages them to explore new ways to discuss these topics with peers, friends, and family.

“I wanted the students to have an enlightening experience in Belgium, we cover many heavy and emotionally sensitive topics that can impact the students (and faculty) differently. I wanted to ensure they felt comfortable with the discussions, site visits, and meeting families” -Professor Amisha Parekh de Campos, Ph.D., MPH, RN, CHPN

In such an intensive program, there is much to process. Parekh de Campos and her students regularly debriefed to address questions and embrace openness to other cultural beliefs and perspectives.

“Going in, we were very focused on the medical aspect of palliative care, and this program shifted our focus to the psychosocial aspects of end of life,” say Fulton and Schwartz.

Fulton and Schwartz also learned alongside students from over sixteen countries who were studying various fields, including nursing, occupational therapy, social work, speech therapy, physical therapy, and dentistry. Panel discussions featuring an ethicist, a palliative care nurse, a physician, and a woman with lived experience whose father chose euthanasia profoundly impacted the students.

“Not only did we learn so much from the lectures, panels, and workshops on palliative care, but we gained so much more from the people we met,” says Schwartz.

“Rarely do you get to take part in a program that brings together health care students from so many different countries and disciplines. We learned about different cultures, tried new foods, and met people from all over the world.”

Fulton says, “What I love about palliative care is how it highlights the genuine empathy that is at the heart of nursing because it focuses on the patient’s wishes rather than being governed by strict medical protocols.”

As an example, she witnessed nurses going above and beyond to create a memorable anniversary experience for a palliative patient and his wife. After the couple had to cancel their planned celebration, the nurses brought the experience to them by picking up takeout and transforming the dining room to resemble the patient’s favorite restaurant.

The Belgium program was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Fulton and Schwartz that they will carry with them throughout their professional and personal lives.

When asked if this experience has altered her career trajectory, Fulton says, “I can definitely see palliative care as a future career because it would be incredibly rewarding.”

“Death is the one guarantee in life,” she adds. “So, normalizing conversations about it is essential to living life to its fullest.”

A key takeaway for both seniors was understanding the importance of dignity in dying and how they can contribute to ensuring their future patients have a peaceful death. They believe that palliative care is a necessary yet often overlooked aspect of medicine that should be recognized and valued. In Belgium, this is a typical part of the culture – allowing policies and practices around palliative care to develop and benefit the community.

“We would absolutely recommend this program to every nursing student, and we really hope that it gains popularity,” Gillian Fulton & Abigail Schwartz.

Parekh de Campos says that “Gill and Abby” proudly represented the UConn School of Nursing while learning an incredible amount about global palliative care, engaging in informational and interactive sessions, making lifelong friends, and intrinsically changing as humans.

Interested students can learn more about the program and other EGL opportunities here: https://egl.uconn.edu/maps/nursing/.