Building palliative care nursing capacity in Ukraine

Despite the ongoing challenges facing Ukraine, hundreds of nurses have participated in specialist palliative care training designed to improve care for people with life-limiting illnesses and support the development of nursing expertise across the country. By the end of the two-year programme, 233 nurses had received training in palliative care nursing, creating a growing network of practitioners equipped with new knowledge, skills and resources.

Investing in nurse leadership

At the heart of the programme is Nadia Stasiuk, an experienced palliative care nurse from Ivano-Frankivsk who was recruited as a nurse educator to coordinate and deliver the project. Working alongside experts from the UK, Romania and Serbia, Nadia helped introduce a more holistic approach to palliative care nursing, bringing together clinical knowledge, communication skills and person-centred care. Over the course of the project, she developed the confidence and expertise to lead training independently and continues to champion palliative care education in Ukraine.

“This training was the first in Ukraine with such an in-depth and systematic approach to training nurses in palliative care. Thanks to this course, we have significantly expanded our clinical, communication and ethical competencies.”

Nadia Stasiuk, Nurse Educator

Reaching nurses across Ukraine

The programme combined online and face-to-face learning opportunities, enabling nurses from different regions to access specialist education. During the second year alone, 126 nurses enrolled on the online course, with 87 successfully completing the programme and receiving certificates. A further 74 nurses participated in in-person workshops delivered in hospices, hospitals and palliative care units.

The training covered a wide range of topics, including communication with patients and families, symptom management, teamwork, psychosocial support, end-of-life care, paediatric palliative care and strategies for preventing burnout. Participants reported that the learning had a direct impact on their practice and their understanding of the nurse’s role within palliative care services.

Creating a lasting legacy

A key aim of the project was not only to deliver training but also to create sustainable educational resources for the future. All teaching sessions were recorded and made available through a Moodle platform, enabling learning materials to be shared more widely and accessed by future cohorts of healthcare professionals. The project also supported the development of a Ukrainian-language handbook for palliative care nursing, helping to ensure that specialist knowledge remains available long after the formal programme has ended.

The initiative has also helped stimulate wider conversations among nursing educators, health leaders and healthcare organisations about the future of palliative care nursing in Ukraine and the need to continue investing in workforce development.

Impact at a glance

• 233 nurses trained across the two-year programme.
• 126 nurses participated in the second-year online course.
• 87 nurses completed the online training and received certificates.
• 74 nurses attended face-to-face workshops across Ukraine.
• Training delivered in hospices, hospitals and palliative care units.
• A new Ukrainian-language palliative care nursing handbook produced.

Looking ahead

The programme demonstrates the powerful role nursing education can play in strengthening healthcare systems, even in the most challenging circumstances. Through international collaboration, local leadership and a commitment to sustainable learning, the project has helped build capacity in palliative care nursing and created foundations for future development across Ukraine.

Find out more