The Lead Lecture as an adjunct to experiential learning (an appropriate modality for the introduction of issues related to death, loss and change).

Issues related to grief in response to loss and developmental changes are of significance to palliative care cancer nurses. This paper is essentially an educational debate although the issues effect all who concerned with palliative cancer care nursing. It reviews selected literature related to the lecture method of teaching. The author makes a case for using the Lead Lecture approach with experiential learning. It is considered an appropriate means through which to introduce palliative nurses to sensitive issues intimately connected to grief. The author explores experiential and student centred methods of learning, concluding that we should approach them with a certain amount of caution; we can expose the learner to too much too soon. The central recommendation of the paper is for an integrated approach, harnessing the potential of group led tutorials and clinical supervision. An outline seminar plan provides a conceptual route map.