Barbara Karnes RN

Barbara Karnes, RN, is an internationally respected speaker, educator, author, and thought leader on matters of end of life. She is a renowned authority to explain the dying process to families, healthcare professionals, and the community at large.

Barbara has held both clinical and leadership positions, including staff nurse, clinical supervisor, and executive director at Hospices and Home Health Care agencies.

An award-winning nurse and end of life educator, in 2018 Barbara was honored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization as a HOSPICE INNOVATOR. She was awarded THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2015 from the World Humanitarian Awards. As well as THE HEART OF HEALTH CARE AWARD from Kansas University Nursing and THE HORIZON AWARD for Education from Nebraska Methodist College.

Since 1994, Barbara has traveled the country speaking about end of life issues and the dynamics of dying at national and state hospice and palliative care organization conferences, state associations, colleges, nursing schools, hospitals, and hospices. She is the expert that hospice and other healthcare professionals count on to teach them how to explain the dying process to families.

Barbara Karnes writes the popular blog, "Something to Think About: a blog on end of life," and maintains an active presence in social media with online communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo and Twitter.

Barbara has dedicated the last 38 years of her life to the education, care, and comforting of dying people and their loved ones. The most useful things she's learned along the way have been distilled into her materials.