A faculty development course for end-of-life care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Palliative Care
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Palliative medicine training is crucial for medical students and housestaff.
• Existing training opportunities in palliative medicine require enhancement.
• Faculty development is key to improving medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a faculty development course in palliative medicine.
• To enhance faculty's knowledge and teaching skills in end-of-life care.
• To improve palliative care education for medical trainees.

Main Methods:

• An 8-week, 12-contact-hour course was designed for 15 faculty members.
• Educational formats included didactics, case studies, and action plans.
• Retrospective pre/post self-evaluation assessed knowledge, confidence, and skills.

Main Results:

• Ten faculty attended at least three sessions; the course was well-endorsed.
• Significant improvements were noted in end-of-life care knowledge (8/11 areas).
• Self-assessed education skills improved in 6/7 content areas; confidence increased.

Conclusions:

• The faculty development course effectively improved end-of-life care knowledge and teaching skills.
• Despite attendance challenges, participating faculty reported significant benefits.
• The course provided valuable skills for training diverse learners in palliative medicine.