In my first year as attending physician in a large homecare-based hospice, I have encountered many personal and professional struggles. The biggest of these for me has been that of accountability. Having trained in a tertiary care center where most everyone comes through the emergency department, there is information galore on each palliative care and … Read morePuzzles with Missing Pieces
Sharon Tapper, MD About 5 years ago, it became clear to me that patients seen by our Palliative Care Service in the acute hospital (1) needed follow-up when they were discharged, (2) many would not have wanted to be there in the first place, and (3) most did not have their wishes documented in an … Read moreHow to Start an Outpatient Palliative Care Program
Will you be joining 400 of your hospice colleagues August 29-31 at the AAHPM Hospice Medical Director Conference in Indianapolis? Several local Academy members have offered their picks for the best restaurants, greatest attractions and fun neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area. For more suggestions check out VisitIndy.com and follow @VisitIndy on Twitter. Feel free and … Read moreIndianapolis, Here We Come!
Conrad Williams IV, MD Conrad Williams IV, MD, serves as fellow section editor on the Quarterly Editorial Board. In the Q&A below, Williams reflects on the path that led him to hospice and palliative medicine and what, as a fellow, he can expect for his future. What compelled you to choose to specialize in this … Read moreThe Learning Curve of Fellowship
Nicky Quinlan, MBBChBAO MRCPI, and Conrad Williams IV, MD Hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) is growing as an accredited specialty, in keeping with the growing need for timely palliative care for the seriously ill population of all ages. Currently, the only route to HPM board certification is through an accredited fellowship. HPM has not yet … Read moreThe Pros and Cons of a Fellow Match
Larry Beresford The opportunities—and the imperatives—for the palliative care field to collaborate with other physicians, and with oncologists in particular, are detailed in an article I wrote for the latest issue of AAHPM’s Quarterly newsletter. The Academy is partnering with oncology groups on a number of fronts, including a joint project with the American Society … Read moreCollaboration Between Palliative Medicine and Oncology
Years of Academy effort to develop legislation that expands opportunities for interdisciplinary education and training in palliative care paid off last summer when the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) was introduced in Congress by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16). (Access a summary of the bill.) In March … Read moreMoving PCHETA on Capitol Hill: A Q&A with the Academy’s Lobbyist
Dear Education SIG members, Welcome to the first new Education SIG Resource Email of the year. This email provides further information on “PalliTalk” which you heard about in an email on this listserve last week. PalliTalk is a train-the-trainer course for palliative care faculty interested in learning to teach communication skills to their fellows using … Read moreEducation Resource Email #4: PalliTalk
One of the many vexing problems in U.S. health care is that patients repeatedly and by a wide margin express their preference for dying at home rather than in a hospital or other setting of care. However, despite that oft-expressed wish and the apparently increasing public awareness of hospice and palliative care options, most people … Read moreWhat’s Going on with Dying in America?
In the interest of archiving the Education SIG’s “Education Resource Email” collection and making it more widely available, we have decided to post past emails. The email below was originally sent to the Education SIG listserve on November 21, 2012. —————- Capitol Hill Days and advocating for education funding Dear Education SIG colleagues, In the … Read moreEducation Resource Email #3: AAHPM’s Capitol Hill Days