Doctors Martha Ximena Leon from Colombia and Liz Gwyther from South Africa; and Nurse Odette Garcea from Romania were the IAHPC Traveling Scholars to this Congress.

L to R - Liliana De Lima from IAHPC; Nurse Odette Garcea from Romania and Dr. Martha Ximena Leon from Colombia.

Thoughts from Nurse Odette Gracea, from Romania on her Travel to the EAPC Meeting in Aachen, Germany.

After I returned home to Romania from the EAPC Congress in Aachen I started thinking how can I help in the development of palliative care nursing education program. Currently palliative care curriculum in the public education system does not exist in Romania. One of the workshops I attended on “How to establish palliative care program”, was particularly useful to me because I understood that I must go to our University and try to make them understand the importance of implementing a palliative care education program.

Currently my goals are to develop, with your help and under the supervision of Dr. Daniela Mosoiu, a palliative care curriculum for nurses, adapted to Romanian cultural and social context. The curriculum must break down and rationalize many things that are not easily taught in education lectures, like how to teach empathy, active listening, communication, presence, wisdom, etc. Romanians are not used to this kind of teaching.

I’m still overloaded after Aachen experience. In one hand I fill like I need time to digest all information I received and in the other hand I fill like I don't have enough time to do what I want. I fill like IAHPC placed a small seed in my mind and I have duty to care of it, I’m not allowed to let it die.

Sincerely,
Odette Garcea, RN, Romani