Palliative care for children: preparing undergraduate nursing students.

Children with life-threatening illnesses rarely benefit from palliative services. Because nurses spend more time with dying children than any other healthcare professional does, it is essential that they are prepared to address the complicated physical, psychological, legal, ethical, and spiritual issues associated with terminal illness and death. The authors discuss a course that provides students with the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to provide comprehensive care for pediatric patients and their families.