Hospice and Palliative Medicine Curriculum

Rotation Schedule Heading link

We encourage a healthy work/life balance! The schedule is very manageable. The fellowship hours are during the day only from Monday to Friday. Thursday is half day ambulatory clinic. Afternoon are allotted as dedicated time to pursue research/ education/ scholarly activities.

Call schedule is minimal, and fellows are allotted a day-off when they come in on a weekend once a month on the inpatient consult service. Besides the three-week vacation, national holidays, most weekends off, fellows enjoy traveling for conferences and attending courses.

Four to five months.

Two and a half months. Blend of home hospice and Inpatient Hospice- as preferred by the fellow.

Three-to four week rotation.

Takes place at Children’s Hospital of Illinois over two to four weeks.

Two months, divided as:

  1. Interventional and Chronic Pain Management: 2-week rotation.
  2. Addiction Medicine: 2-week rotation.
  3. Additional Electives: Options for electives are:
    • Oncology
    • Geri psychiatry
    • Pastoral Care and Interdisciplinary
    • Ethics
    • Cardiology/CHF
    • Pulmonary & Critical Care
    • Pediatric
    • Oncology, Rad Oncology, etc.

Takes place at OSF Cancer Support Services. Expect a half day each week through the year.

Scholarly activities completion is expected before the year-end. Mentorship is provided.

Some of the Topics Covered Heading link

Boot camp didactics in July is followed by structured weekly didactics and clinical learning topics. Jump Simulation is utilized for communication and other topics, while well-being curriculum is covered at the Center for Wellbeing.

  • Pain Curriculum: Pathophysiology and approach to acute and chronic pain. Cancer pain
    syndromes. Opioids management including use of Fentanyl, Methadone, Ketamine, etc.
    Patient controlled analgesia, Interventional pain procedures, etc.
  • Agitation & Delirium.
  • Evidence-based Management of Palliative Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, malignant
    bowel obstruction, anorexia and cachexia, frailty, fatigue, dyspnea, respiratory secretions,
    pruritus, etc.
  • Communication Curriculum: Family Meetings; breaking bad news; goals care; advance
    care planning; communication in ICU settings, transition of care and care coordination,
    etc.
  • Performing Inpatient palliative care consultations.
  • Palliative care in Advanced Illness: Heart failure, ESRD, topics in malignant diseases,
    etc.
  • Neurodegenerative Illnesses: Dementia, Parkinson, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Anoxic
    Brain Injury, etc.
  • Prognostication
  • Care Transitions.
  • Spiritual Assessment
  • Psychologic and psychiatric illness: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, adjustment disorder,
    grief, etc.
  • End of Life care and ethical issues around EOL. Bereavement
  • Cultural Competencies in Palliative Care
  • Resilience and self-care- as above
  • Hospice Curriculum: including hospice eligibility, regulations,
  • Withdrawal of life sustaining treatment: Artificial nutrition, hydration, palliative
    extubation from ventilator.
  • Palliative Care Emergencies.
  • Palliative Sedation.
  • Addiction Medicine Curriculum

Additional Curriculum Features Heading link

  • Journal Club: (September to June)
  • Workshops: Self-compassion, and other topics.
  • National Conference(s) AAHPM, CAPC, etc.
  • Interdisciplinary Team Meetings: IDT management of difficult situations
  • Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, and other lectures.
  • Quality and Safety OSF and UIC syllabus and opportunities for QAPI
  • Telemedicine practice and procedures
  • Educational Opportunities: Fellows are facilitated to educate medical students and residents on
    service and participate in lectures for other services.
  • Jump Simulation