An end-of-life curriculum: empowering the resident, patient, and family

Physician training programs in undergraduate and graduate medical education strongly recommend that their trainees gain experience in helping patients and their families address end-of-life and palliative care issues with knowledge and compassion. Currently these training programs are inadequately meeting this goal. This paper describes a creative 1-day training workshop or several half-day seminars on the end of life, which are delivered as part of our family practice intern orientation. The training includes self-awareness about death, communicating bad news, guidance with paperwork and legal issues, the stages of grief, patient's perspectives on dying, hospice, and physician well-being.