Curriculum/Rotations
Fellowship training lasts for twelve months. There are three participating training sites: (1) Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center; (2) Hospice of Northwest Ohio; (3) Orchard Villa Skilled Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Facility. The program offers training in inpatient acute care, Hospice inpatient, Hospice home care, and longitudinal experiences in palliative care continuity clinic, pediatric experience and long-term care. The organization of the training program is flexible and may be tailored to a fellow’s goals and interests by offering electives which improve management skills and expose them to patients from various disciplines. Electives are offered in: oncology, pain management, cardiology, pulmonary and critical care, pediatrics, geriatrics, neurology, and infectious disease.
Fellows will complete eight months of required training; required longitudinal experiences in palliative care continuity clinic, pediatric experience, long-term care (equivalent of one month total experience); and four elective months. The intent of the program is to individualize training within the framework of the ACGME guidelines to optimize each fellow’s ability to achieve excellence in hospice and palliative medicine.
Fellows will attend the Annual AAHPM assembly and an annual local palliative care conference. Fellows will present/attend monthly Journal Clubs, didactic core lectures, research seminars and other communication skills workshops during the course of their fellowship.
Site 1
Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center (MSVMC) – 5 months Palliative Care Unit/Acute Care Consults. ACGME Requirements: Fellows must see at least 100 new patients over the course of the program. Fellows must follow 10 patients longitudinally across settings. Fellows must have one month or 100 hours of long term care experience. MSVMC has a full panoply of palliative care and related specialist faculty to provide one-on-one and progressive supervision. The Mercy Simulation Center provides state of the art simulation educational experiences, including simulation scenarios dedicated to palliative care and end-of-life decisions.
Site 2
Hospice of Northwest Ohio – 2 months Hospice Inpatient Acute Care, 1 month Hospice Home Care. ACGME Requirements: Same as listed for Site 1, in addition to, 25 Hospice Home Visits (Fellow must perform at least 25 hospice home visits through a Medicare-certified Program to include Peds).
Hospice of Northwest Ohio is the largest hospice and palliative care provider in the region. All faculty are certified in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. Faculty supervision is provided 24/7. The Hospice of Northwest Ohio experience provides rich variety and volumes of training in the care of those experiencing the last six months of life. The site also provides direct access to home care, pain and symptom control, palliative care, bereavement and emotional/spiritual support training as well as experience in administering a hospice medical program/practice.
Site 3
Orchard Villa Skilled Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Facility
ACMGE Requirements attained during this rotation are the same as listed for Site 1. This site will provide long-term care experience and will be longitudinally incorporated into the program, comprising at least equivalent of one month total experience. This experience will provide the fellow the unique experiences needed to become competent in the transition necessary for the palliative care and hospice patients between acute care hospitals and home.
Mercy Health – St. Anne Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic (1/2 day/week)
This will be Wednesday mornings. This clinic helps chronically ill patients maintain a high quality of life at home. The clinic sees patients who may need to discuss their goals of care and require medications or techniques that relieve symptoms. They can also see a chaplain, social worker, dietitian, or pharmacist if needed.