Medicine
End of Life Care: An Introduction to Hospice and Palliative Medicine
MEDC 61800 | 50 Units
- Elective Type: Clinical
- Primary Instructor: Dr. Chris Daugherty
- Contact: Dr. Chris Daugherty | 2-4139 | cdaugher@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
- Location on first day: A228 (Located in the hospital)
- Included in Lottery: Yes
- Last Reviewed: February 25, 2008
Overview
Students will participate in learning experiences in a variety of end-of-life care settings including home hospice care, advanced cancer care, nursing home care, and pain management. Students will participate in patient care rounds, specifically in these settings, with emphasis on encouraging students to understand the multiple obstacles within each of these disciplines that prevent patients from receiving effective palliative care. With specific regard to hospice care, students will attend weekly hospice meetings and make home visits with hospice nurses, chaplains, social workers, and physicians. Where possible, students will be encouraged to develop a continuing relationship with at least one patient and family in hospice over the course of the month elective. In addition to patient care interaction and rounds and hospice visits, students will attend both a weekly journal club with review of important and/or recently relevant topics in hospice and palliative care and participate in weekly didactic teaching conferences on relevant topics. One afternoon a week will be available for research and/or reading time. Friday afternoons will be devoted to open discussions with the course directors of students' experiences during the week.
Objectives
Students will learn about specific topics in end of life care. Students will learn about multiple settings where end-of-life care is currently provided by University of Chicago attending physicians and hospice care providers. These settings include the pain management clinic, nursing homes, the oncology inpatient service, and home hospice. Students will observe and confront the clinical obstacles present in providing quality palliative care for patients with life ending diagnoses. Students will reflect upon these obstacles and discuss why they have come to be present and what methods might be proposed to reduce them.
Evaluation
50 Credits ( 2-weeks): Course attendance, participation in course activities, completion of assigned readings, and participation in class discussions. 100 Credits (4-weeks): As above.
Time Offered:
Two week course, offered the 1st-15th during the following months.
- November
- April
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | ||
| PM | 4:00 | 4:00 | 4:00 | 4:00 | 4:00 |
Schedule Notes
Two week course, offered the 1st-15th during the indicated months.
This course is offered in April and November only. *(Faculty are aware that students may have to be out-of-town on occasional dates for interviewing). First full two weeks of either month. Students may, with permission, extend the course to 1 month at 100 credits. Students choosing to take the elective for four weeks will have the opportunity to round with the inpatient palliative care consultation team and learn directly from inpatient palliative care experts.
Course Limitations and Prerequisites
Maximum Students Enrolled: 4
- Eligibility:
- First year
- Second year
- Fourth year
- Visiting Student (from LCME Accredited Medical Schools Only)
- Prerequisites:
- Consent of Instructor