Sharmon

Figenshaw

RN

MN

ARNP

Biography

SHARMON FIGENSHAW (RN, MN, ARNP) is a nurse practitioner who has worked with families facing end-of-life transitions for over 30 years. While mostly retired from clinical work, she remains active in end-of-life community education and outreach, including state and nationwide projects on advance directives and end-of-life choices, as well as training for professionals to improve the care of those with serious illness, and those facing end-of-life.

She served for 25 years as co-chair of the statewide Washington POLST task force, consulting with teams across the state to ensure that POLSTs are completed properly and honored.  She continues as a key member of the Washington POLST Advisory Council, serves on other National POLST Collaborative workgroups, and on the boards of the Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Jamie's Place, a non-profit residential care center in the Methow. 

 She is certified to lead communication trainings through two national groups: VitalTalk and the Serious Illness Communication Guide, a project started by Dr. Atul Gawande at Ariadne Labs.

Her passion is helping communities and the providers who serve them learn how to discuss serious illness, keep the individual's story at the center of the health care journey, and ensure that individuals' values and wishes are respected.