GMED 709T Advanced Illness Care

Credits: 4
The student will gain proficiency in the practice of primary care internal medicine in a community setting. Students will develop clinical diagnosis, reasoning and communication skills in the care of adults with a wide range of acute and chronic diseases. Students will be active participants in patient care, taking the initial focused history and physical exam, developing a differential diagnosis and management plan prior to discussing with their preceptor(s). This elective offers students the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team to develop skills and expertise in the palliative care of patients living with life-threatening illnesses who are receiving either home based palliative care or hospice services. Students will explore clinical practice of Palliative and Hospice Care through home care experiences. Teaching occurs in the course of patient care provided with a supervising hospice physician or interdisciplinary team member. Examples of typical experiences include: performing palliative care assessments of patients in the home and/or long-term care facility setting, participating in family meetings, participating in interdisciplinary team conferences, or seeing patients in the outpatient oncology setting. Focus is on teaching palliative care assessment (including pain/symptom management, psychosocial assessment, prognosis, and goals of care), effective opioid use, effective use of adjuvant pain therapies and modalities, supporting family caregivers, assisting patients/families to achieve developmental goals and milestones at end of life, managing grief and loss, broaching difficult subjects with care, effectively using advance directives and POLST, self-care, and an interdisciplinary approach to care. Students will see patients and experience both bedside teaching and time alone with patients to assess them and discuss living with serious illness. Students will participate in weekly interdisciplinary team care conferences. Students will have the opportunity to participate in clinical quality improvement projects.

Graded: Pass/No pass
May be taken only once for credit