Clinical Scholars Program
UAB Center for Palliative Care
Birmingham, AL
About the Site
Through the clinical programs at the UAB Center for Palliative Care, a comprehensive continuum of experience is offered for practicing physicians seeking additional training in Palliative Care. The UAB program consists of outpatient Supportive & Palliative Care Clinics, including a Palliative Care HIV Clinic, two in-patient palliative care units (Birmingham VA Medical Center Safe Harbor and the UAB Palliative and Comfort Care Unit-PCCU), and active home hospice & palliative care management programs.
With over 7000 patient contacts in the last year, fully interdisciplinary teams, and trainees including palliative medicine, oncology, and geriatric fellows, Internal Medicine residents, and nurse practitioners, the palliative care experience at UAB is one of diversity and exposure to all categories of patients with life limiting, life threatening, and advanced illness. Over one-third of the patients seen by the UAB Palliative Care Consult Service are those with sudden advanced illness including patients with extensive traumatic, burn, or neurologic injury with palliative goals of care. The UAB Center for Palliative Care does have an active research emphasis in a number of areas including symptom management and chronic illness care, as well as systems of care.
The clinical scholars program at UAB is highlighted by a structured curriculum of daily didactic, observational, and mentored evaluative experiences. Currently, the members of the UAB interdisciplinary team include physicians, nursing staff, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, social worker, pastoral care, care management, and complementary therapists such as music and art therapy. A focused mentored experience at the UAB Center for Palliative Care will provide the active practitioner with an exposure to the breadth of patient populations and systems of care necessary to provide palliative care services in a community.
Sample Schedule
Following a needs assessment of a candidate’s previous experience and personal goals for the Scholars experience, a 5 day schedule will be developed for the individual physician. Pre-reading assignments will be determined for participants. Each Scholar will be assigned to a primary mentor at UAB who will guide the experience for that Scholar throughout the on-site and year long follow-up period.
A daily schedule will consist of focused orientation and didactic time each morning with the mentor and/or other faculty member, a half or full day of observed in-patient and/or out-patient experiences followed by guided daily debriefing and evaluative exercises each afternoon. Primary areas of focus for the week will include basic Communication skills, Interdisciplinary Team Dynamics, Pain Assessment and Treatment, and Systems of Care. Standard written evaluation tools for assessment will be completed by members of the team that interact with the Scholar with the use of standardized patient exercises also administered where feasible.
Faculty
The following faculty will be involved in training visiting physicians:
Christine Ritchie, MD
Rodney Tucker, MD
Heather Herrington, MD
Amos Bailey, MD
Cynthia Baker, MD
Sandra Broeren, MD
Elizabeth Kvale, MD
Ryan Nash, MD
Pam Fordham, CRNP
Jackie Palmore, RN CHPN
Stephen Howell, CRNP
Amanda Baker, CRNP
Diane Tucker, PhD
Kay Knowlton, PhD
Wendy Walters, LCSW
Melvin Rodgers, PhD
Location Information
Nearest Airport: Birmingham International Airport is approximately 15-20 minutes from the UAB campus.
Visit this training site's Web site for further information on their programs and services.
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