The Nettle and the Butterfly

In the early years of hospice and palliative advanced practice nursing, we relied on our colleagues in other specialties to guide us. As the specialty of Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative Nursing evolves, so does the need for tools and mechanisms to help those entering the field. Many APNs are new APNs in practice rather than new practitioners to the specialty. The decision was made to develop this toolkit that an Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative APN can use as a reference for business practice issues. It serves not only as a check list, but also a way to get a sense of the issues, the requirements, and the considerations of practice. In particular, it is written by APNs who are in the specialty and who have knowledge and expertise to help guide the practice of our colleagues from novice to experts.