Dr. Nancy Snyderman Needs Hospice Training

When Jack Kevorkian died a natural death on June 4, 2011, the commentary by NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman highlighted the hypothetical "missed opportunity" the deceased assisted-suicide promoter had by being unable to raise the bar on end-of-life conversations.  In other words, in my opinion, Dr. Snyderman appeared to support what Kevorkian tried to conceptually accomplish with his strange suicide paraphernalia where helpless people fell victim to his death cult. 

Trouble is, Dr. Snyderman made no mention of hospice end-of-life care where the terminally ill receive the palliative care they need without resorting to suicide.  By giving any credence whatsoever to Kevorkian and his suicide cult, Dr. Snyderman ignored, like a snub, the alternative of hospice care. Dr. Snyderman did not mention hospice in her NBC Nightly News commentary. 

I'm a registered nurse, not a physician, but I've told a few doctors "a thing or two" in my career.  To Dr. Snyderman, I'm  saying "shame on you" for not recognizing how hospice care has been "raising the bar" on end of life care for decades.  If you don't know this, Dr. Snyderman, then please take a hospice volunteer course so you can be knowledgeable about the subject you are speaking about.  Unfortunately, your misstatement on NBC Nightly News has already caused many supporters of assisted suicide to find yet another outlet for their misguided philosophy of end-of-life care. 

Hospice care promotes dignity at the end of life without resorting to cliches like "raising the bar". 

Dr. Snyderman should provide a retraction of her NBC Nightly News commentary and, additionally, host a documentary story about hospice volunteer training.