Training the Workforce: Description of a Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Education and Mentoring Program in Palliative Care.

Context: The rapid increase in demand for palliative care (PC) services has led to concerns regarding workforce shortages and threats to the resiliency of PC teams.

Objectives: To describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a regional interdisciplinary training program in PC.

Methods: Thirty nurse and physician fellows representing 22 health systems across the Chicago region participated in a two-year PC training program.

The Evolution and Dissemination of the Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Program.

Background: Even with growing numbers of fellowship-trained palliative care providers, primary palliative care knowledge and skills are needed to meet the national demands for palliative care. The Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Program has been one model of training clinicians in primary palliative care skills. In our second 5 years of development and dissemination, we have focused on adapting EPEC to different specialties.

Evidence of improved knowledge and skills after an elective rotation in a hospice and palliative care program for internal medicine residents.

There is compelling evidence that residents training in primary care need education in palliative care. Evidence for effective curricula is needed. The objective of this study was to test whether a clinical elective improves measures of knowledge and skill.