A Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN) designation represents a prestigious recognition of exceptional expertise, leadership, and commitment to advancing the field of palliative and hospice nursing. It signifies a profound dedication to providing comfort, dignity, and holistic care for individuals and families facing serious illnesses while fostering mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional growth. Recipients of this distinction stand out in their contributions, whether through clinical excellence, research, education, advocacy, or service to organizations such as HPNA, HPCC, or HPNF. This honor not only acknowledges their achievements but also carries an expectation of continued leadership, mentorship, and innovation to further enhance the field of palliative care nursing and ongoing commitment to the mission of HPNA, HPCC and HPNF.

Application Requirements

1. Applicant must be a Licensed Registered Nurse.
2. Applicant must be a current member of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) with evidence of continuous membership for at least five years (no lapse exceeding 60 days and no more than 1 lapse in membership during this 5-year period, regardless of the length of the lapse) and active participation in the Association over the past five (5) years. 
3. HPNA Membership must be maintained to keep Fellow status. 
4. Current HPNA Board members at time of application are not eligible. HPNF and HPCC Board members are eligible.  
5. Application requires two letters of support from professional peers; letters must be received by the deadline. (At least one letter of support must be authored by an HPNA member). Professional peers should be chosen who know the applicant’s work well enough to verify and provide examples of the applicant’s strengths, contributions, and impact on the field of palliative care and/or nursing. Those writing the letters of support should state how long they have known the applicant, and in what capacity. Professional Peers who will be submitting recommendations for a FPCN applicant may only submit up to two recommendations (2 FPCN applicants) for each application year cycle. Letters of Support must be submitted to info@hpna.org by 11:59 PM EST on SEPTEMBER 30, 2025.
6. Applicant must provide a CV (Curriculum Vitae) using the template provided in the application.
7. An application fee of $250 is required. If an applicant is not accepted for induction, the fee will remain as a credit towards a future application. No refunds will be given. To process your application fee by credit card, please call 412-787-9301 option 1.
8. Applicants will be evaluated on responses to essay questions, completion of CV template, and must demonstrate commitment to HPNA, HPCC and/or HPNF. The following rubric will be used as part of the evaluation process.
9. Application and all required components must be RECEIVED by HPNA no later than 11:59 PM EST on SEPTEMBER 30, 2025.  Only completed applications received by the deadline will be considered.