This mixed-method study examined the responses of 97 occupational therapists on the subject of spirituality in occupational therapy practice. The inclusion of spirituality into the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (2008) implies that clinicians address spirituality as a component of client-centered practice. This research revealed a gap between education, theory, and practice as evidenced in the quantitative and qualitative data. Although occupational therapy is intended to be holistic, therapists require a more complete understanding of what spirituality is and what the role of the occupational therapist is when addressing spirituality in evaluation or treatment. The discussion of this research provides information for future occupational therapy educators and educational programs as they seek to incorporate the construct of spirituality into curricula.

The field of transplantation is intended to try to save or improve people's lives. In some situations though, the length of a person's life is not as vital as the quality of that life. As a member of a transplant team, one must recognize the differences between quality and quantity and apply the ethical principles of autonomy, justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence. When a lung transplant recipient became ill with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease 10 months after her surgery, these ethical principles came to the foreground. This dynamic, vibrant woman, recently engaged, faced her own mortality with grace. There is a time for everything. When death is a long time coming, many people are referred to hospice care and the death is viewed as a blessing. This situation rarely occurs in the transplant field. Many people, whether professionals or laypersons, have a difficult time letting go. Our team and this very special woman all knew when it was time. Creating a warm and open environment in the intensive care unit helped her through the rhythms of transition in dying.

Providing quality care to the dying has become a primary concern in the United States. Eighty percent of deaths still occur in the hospital even though nurses report they do not think that good deaths are routinely possible within a hospital setting due to lack of appropriate education on end-of-life care. The aim of this pilot study was to test the best method for changing acute nurse's perceptions about end-of-life care. A 3-group experimental design tested the efficacy of a nurse-led hospice collaborative. Hypotheses were: (1) nurses who receive classroom instruction will have greater change in perceptions than the control group and (2) nurses who receive a combination of classroom and hospice experiences will demonstrate greater changes than the classroom or control group. No significant differences were found among the 3 groups. However, the intervention group showed increased guilt about not having enough time to spend with the dying.

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The field of transplantation is intended to try to save or improve people's lives. In some situations though, the length of a person's life is not as vital as the quality of that life. As a member of a transplant team, one must recognize the differences between quality and quantity and apply the ethical principles of autonomy, justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence. When a lung transplant recipient became ill with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease 10 months after her surgery, these ethical principles came to the foreground. This dynamic, vibrant woman, recently engaged, faced her own mortality with grace. There is a time for everything. When death is a long time coming, many people are referred to hospice care and the death is viewed as a blessing. This situation rarely occurs in the transplant field. Many people, whether professionals or laypersons, have a difficult time letting go. Our team and this very special woman all knew when it was time. Creating a warm and open environment in the intensive care unit helped her through the rhythms of transition in dying.