Gloria Littlemouse, PhD, RN, MSN-Ed
For the past fifteen years, Dr. Littlemouse has distinguished herself as an end-of-life specialist and presenter for the Five Wishes Advanced Directive program. Her multifaceted expertise encompasses her roles as an end-of-life doula and a Nurse Executive/ Regional Director of Hospice Nursing, positioning her at the intersection of clinical practice and compassionate care. Currently, Dr. Littlemouse serves as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where she has undertaken responsibilities in both clinical and community engagement. She currently spearheads a vital community-based end-of-life education initiative in collaboration with eight nursing students at the Fifty Forward Community Center in Madison, Tennessee. This evidence-informed program aims to empower individuals aged 55 and older through comprehensive advance care planning education and provides participants with the opportunity to complete Five Wishes documentation at no cost. Through this initiative, Dr. Littlemouse seeks to enhance accessibility to critical advanced care planning resources and generate sustainable improvements in the well-being and decision-making autonomy of aging individuals within this underserved community.
She also leads a faculty team at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing to integrate Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and the 10-Caritas processes into the nursing curriculum and to conduct a pilot study. Two measurable outcomes include (1) increased cultivation of meaningful transpersonal relationships among students, patients, hospital staff, and faculty and (2) to improve retention rates in both academic settings and the hospital system by enhancing professional preparation for new graduate nurses. As a dedicated professional with over 35 years of experience in specialized care environments, Dr. Littlemouse has cultivated expertise in both hospice and critical care settings, particularly end-of-life care in Intensive Care Units. As a Watson Caring Science Scholar, she has traveled to South America and Europe to present her Lived Experience of an ICU nurse caring for a COVID-19 patient. COVID increased death rates in ICUs across the world; bedside care was forever changed and nurse retention strained. Dr. Watson’s Theory of Human Caring has served as the philosophical foundation for her professional trajectory, wherein she has consistently demonstrated her commitment to ensuring nursing students develop competencies in the practice of loving-kindness while creating meaningful caring moments with patients. Dr. Littlemouse’ s attention to detail and sustained record of empathetic communication has been formally acknowledged through her receipt of the Daisy Award in October 2016. Her scholarly perspective on global demographic shifts emphasizes that the increasing aging population necessitates heightened attention to end-of-life preparation. Dr. Littlemouse’ s research and practice are predicated on the conviction that comprehensive preparation is essential for ensuring patients experience a dignified and quality-centered end-of-life journey.
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