Mission Statement

Our mission is to train physicians in hospice and palliative medicine by providing diverse clinical experiences in order to become leaders and astute clinicians in this specialized field of medicine.

Program Aims

• Train fellows to serve the pediatric population in the field of palliative and hospice medicine, as both astute clinicians and leaders in the field through involvement in advocacy and education
• Develop hospice and palliative medicine physicians with a strong foundation in symptom management, including pain management and to work within interdisciplinary teams to provide evidence-based medical care to patients and their families living with complex chronic medical conditions
• Educate physician leaders who thrive in an environment of constant inquiry and are well versed in the basics of scholarship and research, given that our fellows will practice in a variety of settings including established hospice and/or palliative programs and newly developing programs in palliative care and/or become faculty for other fellowship programs

Goals and Objectives

Palliative and hospice care is devoted to achieving the best possible quality of life for patients and their families facing a life-threatening or terminal illness, through relief of symptoms and aggressive management of other sources of suffering. The interdisciplinary care addresses physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs.

The major domains of knowledge covered by palliative medicine training are:

• The hospice and palliative approach to care
• Death and dying
• Psychosocial and spiritual support, including bereavement support for the family
• Assessment and management of pain and non-pain symptoms and suffering
• Communication and teamwork
• Ethical and legal decision-making
• Quality improvement and research methodology in populations with advanced illness

Fellows receive training in inpatient, community and ambulatory settings. Our fellows are exposed to patients with a variety of medical conditions and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

The fellowship includes a didactic component focused on the pharmacologic and medical management of chronic illnesses, the psychosocial and spiritual aspects in caring for patients with chronic illnesses and at their time of death, bereavement and regulatory issues related to the hospice benefit. Other experiences through our simulation lab will enhance communication skills and team building.

Inpatient Consult Service

The fellow will receive training at UF Health and Wolfson Children's Hospital. The total time spent on inpatient consult services is 2.5 months.

Ambulatory Care

The fellow will have ambulatory clinic experience including: pediatric and young adult medically complex clinics, physical and rehabilitation medicine, pediatric genetics, pain management as well as the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. The total time spent in ambulatory settings is 6 months.

Hospice/Home Care

Community Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeast Florida provides the setting of caring for hospice-level patients including rotations at a free-standing hospice facility and home visits. The fellow will have home care visits through the pediatric palliative and hospice program — Community PedsCare. The total time spent on the hospice rotations is 2.5 months.

Long-Term Care

The long-term care experience is at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital. Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital is a recognized regional facility and includes a dedicated pediatric program. The focus of this rotation is to develop an approach to the treatment of the chronically ill patient (including acute care needs) in a less technologically sophisticated environment than the acute-care hospital, as well as work with care coordination across care settings including discharge to the patient’s home. The total time spent for the long-term care rotation is 1 month.

Conferences

The fellow participates as both a learner and teacher in conferences or seminars/workshops in palliative medicine to augment the clinical experience, foster interaction and develop skills in interpreting medical literature.

As the fellow progresses through their training, opportunities will arise to teach staff such as nurses, allied health professionals, medical students and/or other residents.

Research and Quality-Improvement Program

The fellow will complete a quality-improvement project as well as an independent research project in some aspect of clinical care or education related to palliative care.

Specific Responsibilities

The fellow will make home visits to see patients in hospice and palliative care programs and therefore must have personal transportation and car insurance coverage.