Medicine Elective Course Description

Elective Description: This 4 week elective based in the Division of Palliative Care (Department of Medicine and Family Medicine & Community Health ) will provide a fourth year medical student with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in the biopsychosocial/spiritual care of patients with life-limiting disease and their families.  Management of common symptoms of progressive illness, including pain, nausea, dyspnea, anxiety, depression, and fatigue as well as the terminal management of these conditions will be addressed.  The complex needs for support of patients and families around shared medical decision-making, coordination of care across multiple settings and bereavement care will also be addressed.

EXPECTATIONS:
The student will attend:
   - Daily inpatient care rounds Monday through Friday
   - Daily  palliative care intradisciplinary team meetings
   - Weekly Hospice Interdisciplinary team (IDG) meetings

The student will:
   - Make regular rounds on assigned patients and document appropriately.
   - Perform whole patient assessments, including history and physical examination, of patients referred for palliative care inpatient
     consultation and/or hospice care. 
   - Present patients to attending physician and interdisciplinary team.
   - Develop a comprehensive palliative care treatment plan for patient under the
     direction of the palliative care team after evaluation of the physical, psychosocial,
     and spiritual causes of distress in patients with life-limiting disease and their families.
   - Make home visits to terminally ill patients in the community
   - Participate in family meetings and interdisciplinary interventions
   - Review & present a topic of interest or reflective essay to the interdisciplinary team

PRECEPTORS: 
Jennifer Reidy, MD, board certified family physician and palliative care physician: director of Division of Palliative Care, UMMHC; Assistant Professor of Medicine, UMass Chan

Note: NA