Course Catalog

 
28-516 PALLIATIVE CARE ELECTIVE
Department MEDICINE Campus Birmingham
Course Type(s) Elective Facility UAB Medical Center
Course Director HESHAM HASSAN, MD Enrollment Limit 2
Contact HESHAM HASSAN, MD Enrollment Minimum 1
Email hahassan@uabmc.edu Address
Birmingham, AL
Phone (205) 975-8933 Fax
Weeks
Normally Offered
See Offering Dates		 5-6, 5-8, 7-8, 9-10, 9-12, 11-12, 13-14, 13-16, 15-16, 18-19, 18-21, 20-21, 22-23, 22-25, 24-25, 28-29, 28-31, 30-31, 32-33, 32-35, 34-35, 36-37, 36-39, 38-39, 40-41, 40-43, 42-43, 45-46, 45-48, 47-48, 49-50, 49-52, 51-52
Prerequisites Please note prerequisite requirement: 
Specific Clerkship Prerequisites: Medicine
Visiting Students
Accepts students from US LCME accredited schools.
Accepts students from osteopathic schools.
Course Contact will provide details about approvals for this course.
Course Description Welcome to the world of Palliative Care - the specialty of medicine that helps patients and their loved ones live as well as possible in spite of having a serious illness.
We help patients and families focus on what is most important and meaningful, and in our team-based model of care we provide relief of physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and social suffering. Unfortunately, some of our patients often have life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses, and caring for these patients poses a unique challenge to the provider due to the emotions we face when our patients have a serious illness.
Palliative Care alleviates suffering through building therapeutic relationships with patients and their loved ones; managing symptoms, often with medications; facilitating complex communication with patients, their loved ones, and other healthcare workers to ensure that goals of care are established; and working within the interdisciplinary team to offer support to patients and their loved ones in the throes of serious illness.
The Palliative Care Elective provides hands-on clinical experiences in multiple clinical environments surrounding The UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Most students will work on an inpatient Palliative Care consult service (UAB Hospital, VA Hospital, Children's of Alabama) and the inpatient Palliative and Comfort Care Unit ("PCCU" at UAB Hospital) or the Safe Harbor Inpatient Palliative Care Unit (VA Hospital). Additional experiences with the Supportive Care Clinic (Whitaker Building 3rd floor), with Community-Based Palliative Care (home visits), and with members of the interdisciplinary team (e.g., Music Therapy, Medical Massage Therapy, Spiritual Health / Chaplaincy, etc.) may also be scheduled.
Objectives: By the completion of this elective, students will be able to:
- introduce Palliative Care to patients, their loved ones, and other healthcare workers
- differentiate Palliative Care from Hospice
- recognize a framework for serious illness communication
- employ principles of symptom assessment and management to improve patient quality of life and suffering, particularly in assessing and managing pain
- appreciate the importance of caring for patients who are dying
- recognize and assess for multiple domains of suffering (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social)
Where To Report The Course Director will email prior to the rotation to determine interests and accommodate as able, disseminating rotation schedule (including where to report) prior to the start of the rotation.
Requirements No weekend or nighttime duties. Participation in all clinical and educational activities is required.
Evaluation Pass / Fail based on attendance and participation
Notes Reach out to the course director via email (or work cell phone number operational during business hours) with questions.