Summer Nursing Fellow Ascertains Value of Jesuit Principles in Palliative Care

Senior nursing major Kayla Fox '25 completed a six-week palliative care fellowship at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center, where she observed the benefits of holistic care on residents’ quality of life.

Kayla Fox ’25 is fascinated with biology and the intricacies of human anatomy, but that’s not why she became a nursing major at Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. What really called her to the nursing profession was her parallel interest in the human spirit and her desire to provide holistic care to patients, tending not only to their physical health but also to their social, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

As the inaugural recipient of the Palliative Care Nursing Summer Fellowship, Fox spent six weeks nourishing her interest in holistic care at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center in Yonkers, New York. The experience confirmed for her that healthcare is more than just medical treatments.

“Many factors influence quality of life in healthcare settings” she said, “Those factors include effective pain management, opportunities to socialize and form relationships, integration of adaptive technology, familial support, and the genuine love and respect visible in each healthcare worker’s interactions with patients.”

Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center is home to 169 residents with some of the most challenging and limiting medical conditions in the world. Residents range from infancy to 25 years of age, each having a one-of-a-kind palliative care plan.

Palliative care is specialized form of care that aims to improve quality of life for people facing the challenges of serious medical illnesses. “In palliative care,” Fox explained, “the healer's job is not merely to prolong life but to enrich it; to give it value by protecting against pain, boredom, depravity, isolation; to hear the desires and goals of a person and share the resources and possibilities to achieve them.”

In many ways, the holistic approach practiced in palliative care echoes the Ignatian principle of cura personalis, a Latin phrase that translates as “care for the whole person.” A hallmark of Jesuit education, the concept denotes genuine concern for others and the promotion of human dignity. The similarities are not lost on Fox, whose nursing instructors at the Egan School emphasize listening, protecting, and advocating just as much as healing.

The Palliative Care Nursing Summer Fellowship that Fox received was initiated by Eileen O’Shea, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN, professor of nursing and director of the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care Nursing Education at Fairfield, and Donna Coletti, MD, MS, FACOG, palliative care scholar-in-residence at the Kanarek Center.

Drs. O’Shea and Coletti collaborated with key administrators at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center to establish the competitive fellowship opportunity for rising seniors in the baccalaureate nursing program. Only one student is selected for the fellowship each year.

"Selecting candidates for the pediatric palliative care fellowship at Seton Children's is akin to finding rare gems,” said Dr. O’Shea. “Applicants are evaluated not just for their academic prowess but for their compassion, resilience, and commitment to making a meaningful impact in a challenging field."

Over the course of her summer fellowship, Fox shadowed care providers in 19 different palliative care specialties. Her immersion in those disciplines yielded a profound appreciation for the diverse perspectives inherent in interprofessional teams and the importance of strong communication to keep teams informed and successful.

Fox completed her palliative care fellowship in July but acknowledged the experience will forever be with her and influence how she provides care. During her time at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center, she learned that holistic care is not simply an approach to healthcare but a necessity.

“In addition to learning hands-on nursing skills and validating my pursuit of pediatric nursing,” said Fox, “this fellowship has demonstrated the value in educating all nurses in palliative care principles and will inspire me to advocate for the inclusion of holistic treatment with patients I'm lucky to serve.”

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