Curriculum
Our Program
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship consists of four key components:
- Clinical training.
- Core Knowledge and communications skills development.
- Clinical teaching skills development.
- Introduction to research and quality improvement.
The program represents the collaborative efforts of prominent health care organizations: University of Colorado School of Medicine, University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), the Veteran's Administration Eastern Colorado Health Care System (VA), The Denver Hospice (TDH), Colorado Children's Hospital, Denver Health and Hospitals (DHH).
Palliative medicine fellows receive clinical training in diverse settings guided by faculty with varied backgrounds, and have the opportunity to provide continuity across a continuum of locales and service models as a result of the inter-relationships between these organizations.
Clinical Training Summary Examples
Core Knowledge & Skills Development
Program faculty provide instruction on core topics in palliative medicine through weekly Palliative Care Conferences. Sessions include a combination of didactic, lecture, interactive small group workshops, role play, and standardized patient exercises. Palliative medicine fellows facilitate monthly Palliative Care Journal Club and Case Conferences. Through this experience, fellows develop skills in the critical interpretation and translations of palliative care medical literature.
Clinical Teaching Skills Development
Fellows receive training designed to improve participants' teaching and feedback skills. Fellows are provided opportunities for structured practice of teaching skills with internal medicine residents, family medicine residents, medical students, nurses, and other interdisciplinary providers. Fellows are often asked to present to other groups and are encouraged to obtain individual mentoring through the University of Colorado Academy of Medical Educators. Through the course of their training, fellows will be involved in teaching in one-on-one, small group, and large group settings.
Intro to Research & Quality Development
Through didactic, interactive sessions, and focused mentorship, palliative medicine fellows receive introductory instruction in research and quality improvement methods. Each fellow completes a quality improvement or patient safety project during their fellowship. Fellows who desire an academic research career in palliative medicine are encouraged to consider a unique research fellowship with a palliative care focus offered through a training grand by Dr. Jean Kutner. It is possible to sequence the fellowships for applicants who know their goals in advance.
Contact:
Krystle Wetherbee
Program Coordinator
krystle.wetherbee@cuanschutz.edu