A proposed curriculum on death and dying for the allied health student

Encounters with a dying patient create a triple dilemma for the allied health professional. These include the anxiety aroused in the dying patient, the avoidance of the patient by other members of the health team and the allied health professional's own anxieties about death. This article summarizes the existing curricular models on death education for health professions students. A proposed course design for allied health professions students modified from Bloch's medical education objectives for a thanatology course is presented. Special emphasis is given to development of active listening skills which allied health personnel need in their role as supportive significant others for dying patients.