Palliative Care/Supportive Care/Clinical Ethics

LOCATION: Center for Health Ethics and Law, Morgantown, West Virginia
PRECEPTORS: Janna Baker Rogers, MD
DURATION: 2 weeks minimum
OFFERED: Continuously
MAXIMUM ENROLLMENT: 1 student
STATUS: Elective

Objectives

At the end of this elective students should be able to:

1. Understand what palliative care is and how it improves patient care;
2. Assess and manage pain and common symptoms;
3. Describe the format and process for a family meeting;
4. Discuss indications for transition to a comfort measures approach;
5. Explain how and when to refer a patient to hospice;
6. Perform palliative consultation in the hospital setting; and
7. Identify when an ethics consult rather than a palliative care consult is indicated.

Methods to Achieve Objectives

Students will join the supportive care consultation team on all activities and attend the monthly ethics committee meeting. Students will learn to perform palliative care consultations. Students have the option of identifying and discussing a special area of interest. Students may attend a hospice interdisciplinary meeting and make home visits with a hospice nurse.

Examination Procedures and Evaluation Criteria

Grades will be based on daily observation of the student's performance.

Pre-Rotation Instructions

Contact Patty Rosenberger, prosenberger@wvumedicine.org two weeks prior to rotation start date to obtain orientation information for the rotation.