Interdisciplinary Educational Program

Our system of care should be interdisciplinary: physicians, nurses, social workers,
chaplains and other spiritual care providers all working together to provide spiritual
and holistic care for our patients. Our culture needs to look at dying not as a
medical problem, but as a natural part of life that can be meaningful and peaceful.
The interdisciplinary care team, can jointly assist the dying person to come to
peace in life's last moments. Christina M. Puchalski, MD, MS 1

With contract support from CT Dept. of Public Health and CT Cancer Partnership, we collaborated with Yale Schools of Nursing and the Divinity School and Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Social Services to develop and implement an interdisciplinary educational program. This on-going program teaches palliative care in an interdisciplinary format to medical, nursing, divinity and social work students and interns. We have created a blended curriculum with interactive computer based clinical cases which students will complete prior to participating in face to face workshops. While on their internal medicine, and emergency medicine clerkships, all third year medical students will complete three computer based modules each followed by a case conference:

  1. Pain Management - Emphasizes principles of pain management, non-pain symptom management, and end of life planning.
  2. Spiritual and Cultural Aspects of Palliative Care and the Interdisciplinary Team - Nursing, divinity, medical and social work students will focus on spiritual and cultural aspects of palliative care and the importance of interdisciplinary team approach in palliative care.
  3. Palliative Care in the Emergency Department

1Puchalski, CM:Spirituality and End-of-Life Care: A Time for Listening and Caring; Journal for Palliative Medicince 2005; 5(2): 293.