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Clinical Scholars Program

Program Update

Following the selection of training sites in Fall of 2007, the program underwent a review by the site directors and Academy staff. Several operational aspects were revised and are reflected in the following updated Web page. Applications for the program will be available Spring 2008.

Overview

Experienced and medically skilled palliative care teams can both improve the quality of the care of severely ill patients and help control the costs of that care. AAHPM offers a focused clinical experience at selected hospice and palliative care sites across the country to physicians working in palliative care who seek to gain insight into alternative models or venues of care, delivery systems, or therapies.

Licensed physicians who have a foundational knowledge about hospice and palliative medicine are eligible for this clinical experience. While not a substitute for a formal fellowship training program, the AAHPM Clinical Scholars Program offers a one week observership with a clinical team, under the supervision of physician faculty at the training site; 12-15 hours of faculty mentorship in the form of quarterly consults; one year of participation in discussion groups led by faculty from the training sites; and a peer network for ongoing discussion.

Upon completion of the AAHPM Clinical Scholars Program, visiting physicians will receive a Certificate of Completion.


Who Should Attend

This training program is designed for licensed physicians with or without current ABHPM certification who spend, or plan to spend, a significant portion of their professional time in hospice and palliative medicine clinical work, and wish to accomplish one or more of the following goals:

  • Enhance individual knowledge and practice of palliative care by experience with an expert team and the systems in place to provide care
  • Enhance individual knowledge and practice of academic palliative medicine by exposure to a team engaged in training and research
  • Enhance individual knowledge and practice of specific elements in palliative medicine, such as advanced symptom control and communication skills
  • Enhance individual knowledge and practice of palliative care in specific clinical populations, e.g., oncology, neurology, cardiology, etc.
  • Provide exposure to a system serving populations with varied racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Provide exposure to populations in other clinical settings, e.g., rural vs. urban or academic vs. community

The completion of this program has no impact on board certification in hospice and palliative medicine, and is not intended to provide the level of detailed knowledge and skills of a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program.




Foundational Knowledge

Licensed physicians are expected to have a foundation in hospice and palliative medicine. Priority will be given to physicians who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in hospice and palliative care by completing CME activities or attending palliative medicine educational conferences. Documentation will be required. Suggested examples of CME activities are:


Training Sites

The following eight sites were chosen based on their outstanding reputation, superior service, and well regarded expertise in the field.  The sites include:

  • Capital Hospice
    Falls Church, Virginia

  • Hospice of the Bluegrass
    Lexington, Kentucky

  • Medical College of Wisconsin
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter
    Glenview, Illinois

  • San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care
    San Diego, California

  • Stanford University/VA Palo Alto Hospice and HPC Program
    Palo Alto, California

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham/VA Medical Center Palliative Care Program
    Birmingham, Alabama

  • University of Pittsburgh Institute to Enhance Palliative Care
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Program profiles on the individual sites will be available Spring 2008.


 

Clinical Scholar Experience and Follow Up

The focus of this observership is the care of patients in either a home hospice or inpatient palliative care setting. The combination of quarterly consults with experienced faculty from the clinical training site and discussion groups with peers led by training site faculty will promote enhancement of the visiting physician's hospice and palliative medicine clinical experience and skills.

Each candidate for a Certificate of Completion of the AAHPM Clinical Scholars Program must complete the following three steps:

Clinical Scholar Training

Candidates must complete a minimum of 40 hours (one week) of observership at an AAHPM training site which will involve the following activities in addition to individual training site program requirements:

  • observe problem-focused palliative care assessment for patients, representing a spectrum of palliative care clinical problems
  • attend and participate in a weekly interdisciplinary team meeting

Post-training Requirements

In the year following clinical experience each visiting physician must:
  • develop a mentorship relationship with one physician faculty from the clinical training site
  • follow the recommendations of the mentor for further study and training
  • have quarterly contact with the mentor to review recent patient encounters and discuss problems/challenges/successes
  • join other trainees for discussion groups led by physician faculty from the clinical training site

Program Evaluation

Upon successful completion of the mentorship process, a confidential program evaluation will be forwarded by AAHPM fro completion.

Fees

The application fee of $500 is due along with your completed application to AAHPM. The fee for the clinical experience and mentoring of $3000 will be payable to the Academy once you are matched with a training site. Please note each physician trainee will be responsible for the costs of travel, meals, and lodging while attending training.

Application Process

Physicians

Applications from candidates for specific training sites will be accepted Spring 2008. At the time of application, candidates will be expected to:
  1. complete an application form providing proof of licensure and CME activities
  2. provide required initial payment

After verification that your application is complete, applications will be screened by the site director who may contact applicants directly regarding expectations and educational needs.

Applicants will be notified by AAHPM within three weeks. If accepted into the program, trainees will be forwarded a confirmation letter with further instructions regarding scheduling and payment of training fees.

Please anticipate a timeline from submission of application to scheduled training of a minimum 3 months.

For questions regarding this program, send an email to resources@aahpm.org or call 847/375-4712.