Dorothy J. Wholihan

Faculty

Dorothy J Wholihan headshot

Dorothy J. Wholihan

DNP AGACNP-BC ACHPN FPCN FAAN

Clinical Professor
Program Director, Advanced Practice Palliative Care Specialty Sequence

1 212 992 9429

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Dorothy J. Wholihan's additional information

Dorothy J. Wholihan, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN, is a Clinical Professor of Nursing and the Director of the Advanced Practice Palliative Care Specialty Program at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a palliative care nurse practitioner with over 40 years of nursing experience dedicated to the care of persons with advanced illness and their families. She has held prior positions as an oncology and pain management clinical nurse specialist. She maintains an active clinical practice as a nurse practitioner in palliative care within the Veterans Health Administration, where she has cared for seriously ill veterans since 1989.

Recognized as a national leader in palliative care nursing education, Prof. Dorothy has served more than 15 years as national faculty for the ELNEC program (End of Life Nursing Education Consortium) and currently leads the ELNEC Geriatric course. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2019 and serves on the End-of-Life Expert Panel. She is also an active member of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and is a Fellow of Palliative Care Nursing.

Her palliative care practice and research interests include spiritual aspects of care, communication education, and the care of veterans at end of life.

DNP, George Washington University
Post-Master's Certificate in Christian Specialty, General Theological Seminary
Post-Master's Certificate in ANP - Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences
MSN, Yale University
BSN, University of Pennsylvania

Palliative care
Pain Management

American Academy of Nursing
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Nurses Association
Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association
National Faculty Member, End of Life Nursing Education Consortium
Sigma Theta Tau

Faculty Honors Awards

University Distinguished Teaching Award, NYU (2020)
Distinguished Teaching Award, NYU Meyers (2019)
Fellow, Palliative Care Nursing
Fellow, Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing

Publications

"I Don't Know What to Say" : A Multimodal Educational and Environmental Intervention to Improve Bedside Nursing Communication at End of Life

Wolownik, G., & Wholihan, D. J. (2025). (Vols. 27, Issues 2, pp. E61-E67). 10.1097/NJH.0000000000001084
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The American Association of Colleges of Nursing identifies palliative and hospice care as one of 4 core spheres of nursing in its new Essentials outcomes. However, research shows inpatient medical-surgical nurses are not adequately trained to deliver end-of-life (EOL) care. This lack of foundational learning leads to gaps when communicating with patients and families and negatively impacts quality of care. When a large urban hospital opened a specialty unit for comfort-focused EOL care, nurses felt unprepared to communicate effectively with patients and families. A literature review and staff interviews identified barriers to communication, such as lack of formal education and experience; personal, cultural, and emotional challenges; and high workload. A multimodal intervention focusing on improving staff nurse communication skills was designed. It included environmental cues, engaging pocket cards, and an education module on communication techniques. Data were collected on nurses' confidence and competence in EOL communication, and qualitative feedback on the usefulness of the interventions was obtained. Nurses demonstrated increased confidence and competence immediately following the education session, enduring at 4 weeks. Nurses reported pocket cards and posters were helpful clinical reminders. Innovative, clinically relevant interventions can positively impact communication skills without requiring increased time commitments or high cost.

Recommendations for Specialty Palliative APRN Graduate Education

Dahlin, C., Wholihan, D. J., Wiencek, C., Acker, K. A., Breakwell, S., Buschman, P., Cormack, C. L., DeSanto-Madaya, S., Doherty, C., Edwards, R., English, N., Fink, R. M., Goodnough, A. K., Lindell, K., Mazanec, P., McHugh, M. E., Moore, E. P., Obrecht, J. A., Pawlow, P., … Tresgallo, M. E. (2025). (Vols. 50, Issues 2, pp. E63-E67). 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001749
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BACKGROUND: Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are essential to care for the growing number of individuals with advanced illness given the shortage of palliative care clinicians. PROBLEM: Graduate education for specialty practice palliative APRNs lacks consistency in structure, content, and standardization of specialty palliative APRN education. APPROACH: A workgroup of expert palliative APRNs and graduate faculty conducted focused discussions and a literature review to develop consensus recommendations based on national palliative APRN competencies and aligned with the 8 core concepts of the AACN Essentials. OUTCOME: Recommendations include: (a) definition of core concepts; (b) associated skills; (c) andragogical approaches; (d) evaluation methods; and (e) references for curricular development. CONCLUSION: The Recommendations for Specialty Palliative APRN Education is a first step toward the standardization of quality advanced practice specialty palliative nursing education. These recommendations provide the foundation for a comprehensive curriculum for palliative APRNs.

A multi-modal communication program for nursing caring for patients at the end of life

Wholihan, D. J. (2024).
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Specialty palliative APRN graduate education: Mapping the future within a competency-based framework.

Wholihan, D. J. (2024). (Vols. 50, Issues 2, pp. E 63-67).
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. Energy surge: A deathbed phenomenon that matters. 

Wholihan, D. J. (2023). (Vols. 21, Issues 2, pp. 371-375).
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. Fundamental skills and education

Wholihan, D. J., & Tilley, C. (2023). In Textbook of Advanced Palliative Nursing. Oxford University Press.
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Curricular Quality Improvement in Midwifery : Simulating Unexpected Perinatal Loss

Altman, S. D., Tilley, C. P., Feldman, R., Brennan, M., & Wholihan, D. J. (2023). 10.1111/jmwh.13498
Abstract
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Introduction: Caring for families experiencing perinatal loss is a fundamental component of midwifery practice, but little attention is paid to perinatal palliative care in midwifery curricula. Lack of educational preparation and self-care resources negatively impacts midwifery students and health care teams caring for families experiencing stillbirth. Process: A private, urban university conducted a curricular quality improvement project to integrate perinatal palliative care into the midwifery curriculum using a high-fidelity, branching simulation pedagogy. Simulation objectives were developed from curricular gap analyses and the Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice. Development of the Unexpected Perinatal Loss Simulation was guided by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Outcomes and Objectives and Design Standards. The Unexpected Perinatal Loss Simulation was revised based on qualitative data from student focus groups and expert content validation. Outcomes: Qualitative data yielded 4 key domains: presimulation, simulation skills, prior experience/personal reflections, and recommendations. Simulation procedures and scenario content were revised, after which 8 expert clinicians in the fields of midwifery, palliative care, and psychiatry validated the scenario content using the Lynn method. Two items did not meet the content validity index (CVI) threshold of 0.78, necessitating review by stakeholders; however, the overall scenario CVI threshold was met (0.82). Discussion: Through this project, faculty integrated perinatal palliative care into the midwifery program using a novel approach of high-fidelity, branching simulation, structured debriefing, and an introductory self-care skills workshop. Potential clinical impact includes skillful perinatal palliative care with effective communication skills to mitigate how families experience and remember a traumatic loss and facilitate the grieving process. Students voiced insights into how they would process loss and seek support to mitigate their own grief as future midwives.

Energy surge : A deathbed phenomenon that matters

Julião, M., Wholihan, D. J., Calaveiras, P., Costa, E., & de Sousa, P. F. (2023). (Vols. 21, Issues 2, pp. 371-375). 10.1017/S1478951522001754
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"I don't know what to say: Novel simulations to develop student nurse practitioner communication competencies.

Wholihan, D. J. (2023).
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Abstract submission for International Sigma Theta Tau conference

Impact of Co-occurring Cancer-Related and Wound-Specific Symptoms on Functional Performance Among Patients With Advanced Cancer and Malignant Fungating Wounds : An Exploratory, Observational Study

Tilley, C. P., Yu, G., Comfort, C., Li, Z., Axelrod, D., Colon-Cavallito, K., Wholihan, D. J., & Fu, M. R. (2023). (Vols. 50, Issues 6, pp. 451-457). 10.1097/WON.0000000000001017
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of co-occurring symptoms in patients with advanced cancer and malignant fungating wounds (MFWs) on palliative and functional performance, and the feasibility of collecting self-reported data in this population. DESIGN: This was an exploratory, observational study. Quantitative surveys and qualitative semistructured interviews using a phenomenological approach were employed. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 5 adults with advanced breast, oral, and ovarian cancer and MFWs. Participants were recruited from an urban outpatient cancer center, hospice, and wound center located in the Northeastern United States. METHODS: Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and self-reported symptom and functional performance data measured. Descriptive statistics, T scores, confidence intervals, and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative data. One-to-one semistructured interviews were conducted by the first author to gain deeper understanding of participants' symptom experience. Qualitative data were analyzed using an iterative and inductive thematic data analysis method to identify major themes. RESULTS: The mean cancer-related and wound-specific symptom occurrence was 17 (SD = 5.56) and 4 (SD = 1.26), respectively. Distressing, extensive co-occurring symptom burdens were experienced by all participants; they also reported poor functional performance and diminished palliative performance. Qualitative findings supported quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that co-occurring cancer-related and wound-specific symptoms have incremental and negative impact on functional performance. The use of multiple data collection methods was feasible, including self-reported data in this advanced cancer population.