We have dedicated time for education between 8 am and 12 pm on two Tuesdays during the month.
This time includes grand rounds, core content, case presentations, journal club and research conferences. In addition, we use the state-of-the-art Hannaford Simulation lab to provide several intensive communication training sessions. These sessions are inter-disciplinary.
Over the course of the year the following content areas are addressed:
- Introduction to Palliative Medicine
- Symptom management
- Disease specific palliative medicine: cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic diseases; end stage renal disease, end stage liver disease, cancer and trauma.
- Estimating and communicating prognosis
- Communication skills training, with particular focus on:
- Essential Communication Skills
- Breaking Bad News
- Goals of Care
- Facilitating Family Meetings
- Resuscitation Preference
- The role of spiritual care, social work, and ethics in palliative medicine
- Hospice and end of life care
- Provider health, resiliency, mindfulness
- System level palliative medicine, administration and delivery of care
- Reflection in medicine
A highlight of our didactic curriculum is our collaboration with other Northern New England HPM fellowship programs. We gather three times a year for interdisciplinary educational retreats focusing on essential symptom management skills, in depth communication training, and preparation for independent practice.