A Longitudinal Hospice Curriculum to Enhance Fellowship Training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Background A small proportion of hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) trainees pursue careers in hospice setting. Aim We developed a longitudinal hospice curriculum to improve the quality of hospice training. Methods Alumni surveys (n = 11) and ACGME core competencies were reviewed. In complement of dedicated inpatient and outpatient hospice training blocks, HPM fellows partner with the medical director of one of two hospice agencies to follow patients longitudinally adjacent to their other fellowship responsibilities. Single-center mixed-methods program evaluation included focus group interview with HPM fellows (n = 4) and survey of hospice nurses (n = 4) and medical directors (n = 2) working directly with fellows to evaluate experiences and identify areas for improvement. Results One quarter of alumni identified feeling unprepared to provide hospice care. Qualitative analysis of fellow focus group identified themes within how it works, benefits, challenges, how it should work , and, paired with survey results, provided a guide for modifications to future cohorts. Discussion We demonstrated feasibility and identified ways to improve operationalization. Ongoing study is needed to determine if this translates into increased fellow graduate role in hospice care settings post training.