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Department of Medicine

Curriculum

Throughout the year, fellows will have a dedicated half-day of didactic teaching sessions every week with no clinical responsibilities during that time. These sessions are a safe space for small-group learning, exploration, and growth through interactive discussions. Sessions are led by interdisciplinary palliative care faculty at UNC and Transitions LifeCare as well as experts from throughout the UNC Health System.

We are excited to announce a newly developed curriculum for our didactic sessions grouped under ten palliative care categories. While these lists will continue to evolve, prospective UNC HPM fellows should know that they would receive education in the vast majority of topics on this list.

Advanced Disease Processes:
    1. Parkinson’s Disease
    2. Advanced Heart Failure
    3. Depression and Anxiety
    4. Neurocritical Care
    5. Renal Palliative Care
    6. Radiation Oncology
    7. Liver Disease
    8. Neuropsychology in Palliative Care
Communication
    1. How to Introduce Palliative Care to Patients and Families
    2. Consultation Etiquette
    3. Dementia Advance Care Planning
    4. Best Case/Worst Case Communication
    5. Code Status Discussions
    6. Best Practices for Family Meetings
    7. Supporting Children of Seriously Ill Patients
    8. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Palliative Care Providers
    9. Capacity Assessment
    10. Advance Directives
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    1. Best Practices in Using Interpreters
    2. Social Location and Worldview
    3. Worldview and Power Dynamics
    4. Cultural Considerations at End of Life
    5. Allyship and Microaggressions
    6. Systemic Racism and Palliative Care
    7. Social Justice
Hospice/End-of-life Care
    1. Intro to Hospice
    2. Artificial Nutrition/Hydration at End of Life
    3. Syndrome of Imminent Death
    4. Palliative Sedation
    5. Principle of Double Effect
    6. Prognostication
    7. Hospice Documentation- CTI’s and F2F’s
    8. Care at the Time of Death
    9. On Being a Death Doula
    10. Physician Aid in Dying
    11. Compassionate Extubation
Professional Development
    1. Approach to the Job Search
    2. Working with the Interdisciplinary Team
    3. Mentoring
    4. Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration
    5. Ethics Methods
    6. Financial Planning
    7. Professionalism
    8. Teaching Communication in Real Time
    9. Preparing for the HPM Boards
Resiliency
    1. Things No One Told You About Hospice and Palliative Medicine
    2. Writing Condolence Notes
    3. “Man’s Search for Meaning” Book Club Discussion
    4. Narrative Writing
    5. Being a Woman in Medicine

**Monthly half-days with psychologist Karen Kingsolver and fellowship field trips are also part of the resiliency curriculum and take place outside of the didactic curriculum

Scholarship
    1. Intro to Scholarship
    2. Career Planning
    3. Writing a Scientific Abstract
    4. Simulated Root Cause Analysis

**Frequent individual sessions will take place to check in and work with fellows on their QI project

Symptom Management
    1. Intro to Opioids
    2. Opioid Conversions
    3. PCA’s and Fentanyl
    4. Methadone
    5. Buprenorphine
    6. Ketamine
    7. OUD and Palliative Care
    8. Psychopharmacology
    9. QTc Monitoring
    10. Delirium
    11. Nausea and Vomiting, Mucositis, Hiccups
    12. Psychedelics
    13. Malignant Bowel Obstruction
    14. Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome
    15. Medical Cannabis
    16. Pain and Dyspnea Assessment for Non-verbal Patients
    17. Integrative Medicine
    18. Dyspnea
    19. Constipation
Whole Person Concerns
    1. Writing Condolence Letters
    2. The Role of Spiritual Care
    3. Spiritual Care Assessment Models
    4. Dignity Therapy
    5. Caregiving
    6. Man’s Search For Meaning Book Club
    7. Miracles and God Language
    8. Being a Woman in Medicine
    9. Trauma-Informed Care
Pediatrics
    1. Intro to pediatric palliative care
    2. Ages and Stages of Grief
    3. Pediatric Spiritual Care
    4. Pediatric Pain Management
    5. Management of Non-Pain Symptoms in Pediatric Palliative Care