Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice

Adult and pediatric track participants attend joint sessions except where noted. This is only a sample of the schedule and is subject to change each year.

Part One Part Two

Part I - Teaching and Learning in Palliative Care

Day 1: Tuesday
5:30-6:30 Registration and Reception
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30-8:00 Welcome and Introduction to the Course (large group)
8:00-9:00 Personal Narratives: Pathways to Palliative Care (small group)

Day 2: Wednesday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Introduction to Opening Exercise (large group)
8:15-9:00 What is a Good Death? (large group)
9:00-10:15 Communication Challenges (demonstration)
10:15-10:45 Teaching Reflection (large group)
10:45-11:15 Break
11:15-12:45 Understanding Life-Threatening Illness (patient interview in large group)
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-3:45 "I Hate Role Play" and Breaking Bad News (small group)
3:45-4:00 Break
4:00-5:30 Understanding Life-Threatening Illness (patient interview in small group)

Day 3: Thursday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:30 Hope, Emotion, and the Provision of Care (large group)
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-11:30 Developing a Palliative Care Program I (adult)
9:45-11:30 Designing a Pediatric Palliative Care Program (pediatric)
11:30-11:45 Break
11:45-1:00 Developing a Palliative Care Program II (adult)
11:45-1:00 Overall Sources of Distress for Children (pediatric)
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:45 Introduction to Pain Management - Case Studies (small groups)
3:45-4:15 Break
4:15-5:15 Patients in Pain: A Palliative Care Approach (large group)

Day 4: Friday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:45 Organizational Change and Educational Planning I (large group)
9:45-10:15 Break
10:15-11:45 Organizational Change and Educational Planning II (large group)
11:45-12:30 Travel to Dana-Farber for the rest of the day's sessions
12:30-2:00 Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care Faculty Seminar
2:00-2:30 Break
2:30-5:00 Electives - you will sign up for one of the sessions listed below.

Pediatric Palliative Care

Nursing Education Forum

Medical Student and Resident Education

Palliative Care Units

Out-Patient Palliative Care

Teaching Psychosocial Aspects of Palliative Care

Day 5: Saturday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:30 Teaching Reflection/Best Learning Experiences (large group)
8:30-10:00 Advance Care Planning Discussions (small groups)
10:00-10:30 Break
10:30-11:30 Advances in Managing End Stage Congestive Heart Failure (large group)
11:30-1:30 Project Review #1 (project group)
1:30- Free Afternoon

Day 6: Sunday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-10:15 Learning Styles and Teaching Methods (large group)
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-12:00 Project Review #2 (project group)
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Deepening the Interview (small group)
3:00-3:30 Break
3:30-5:30 Negotiating Treatment Goals (small group)

Day 7: Monday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:45 Palliative Care Across the Life Cycle (large group)
9:45-10:15 Break
10:15-11:30 Depression in Palliative Care (adult)
10:15-11:30 Depression and Anxiety in the Pediatric Population (pediatric)
11:30-12:45 Lunch
12:45-2:15 Psychosocial and Spiritual Assessment (large group)
2:15-2:45 Break
2:45-4:15 "I Want Everything" - Enter the Ethics Consultant (adult)
2:45-4:15 Intractable Symptoms in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment (pediatric)
4:15-4:30 Break
4:30-5:30 Discussion with Eric Cassell (large group)
6:00 Depart from Royal Sonesta Hotel to reception

Day 8: Tuesday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:00 Panel Discussion: Bringing PCEP Home (large group)
9:00-10:15 Grief and Bereavement (large group)
10:15-10:45 Break
10:45-11:30 Grief and Loss: Experiential Exercise
11:30-11:45 Break to move to small groups
11:45-12:45 Good-bye (Small Groups)

Part II - Building a Future in Palliative Care

Day 1: Wednesday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast and Check in
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-8:45 Welcome Back: Introduction to Part II and Reflection on Teaching (large group)
8:45-10:15 Communication (patient interview in large group)
10:15-10:45 Break
10:45-12:15 Most Emotionally Powerful Death (small group)
12:15-1:15 Lunch
1:15-3:15 Personal Spiritual History (small group)
3:15-3:45 Break
3:45-5:45 Project Review #1 (project group)

Day 2: Thursday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:45 Cultural Issues in Palliative Care I (large group)
9:45-10:15 Break
10:15-12:00 Family Meetings in the ICU (small group)
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:30 How to Help Parents Help Children When a Parent is Dying (adult)
1:00-2:30 Psychosocial and Spiritual Support of the Family (pediatric)
2:30-3:00 Break
3:00-5:15 Intensive Communication Teaching (patient interview in small group)
5:30-6:30 Optional Session: Hypnosis (large group)

Day 3: Friday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-10:00 Quality Improvement Workshop (large group)
10:00-10:30 Break
10:30-11:30 Quality Improvement Workshop, continued (large group)
11:30-12:30 Palliative and Oncology Care in the Ambulatory Care Setting (adult)
11:30-12:30 Role of Palliative Care in the ICU (pediatric)
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-3:00 Project Review #2 (project group)
3:00-3:30 Break
3:30-5:00 "Don't Give Up On Me" (small groups)
5:00-5:15 Break
5:15-6:15 Caring for our Patients and Ourselves (large group)

Day 4: Saturday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-8:30 Break into adult and pediatric groups
8:30-9:30 Bedside Assessment in Palliative Care (adult)
8:30-9:30 Hypnosis (pediatric)
9:30-10:30 Anorexia and Cachexia (adult)
9:30-10:30 Non-Pain Symptoms in Palliative Care (adult)
10:30-11:00 Break
11:00-12:00 Chronic Nausea (adult)
11:00-12:00 Advanced Pain Management in Children (pediatric)
12:00-12:45 Reflection on Teaching (large group)
12:45- Free Afternoon

Day 5: Sunday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:45 Cultural Issues in Palliative Care II (large group)
9:45-10:15 Break
10:15-11:30 Dealing with Moral Ambiguity In Palliative Care (large group)
11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:45 Reflection on Teaching (large group)
1:45-2:00 Break
2:00-3:30 Patients Requests for Hastened Death (adult small group)
2:00-3:30 Ethics and Practice of Palliative Sedation (pediatric small group)
3:30-4:00 Break
4:00-5:30 Saying Goodbye to Patients and Writing Condolence Notes (small groups)

Day 6: Monday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-11:30 Objective Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE): Negative Feedback, Formal Presentation, One-minute Preceptor, and Conflict Negotiation (small group)

8:15–9:00 First Session
9:00–9:45 Second Session
9:45–10:00 Break
10:00–10:45 Third Session
10:45–11:30 Fourth Session

11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-2:00 Palliative Care from the Perspective of an Institutional Leader (large group)
2:00-2:45 Reflection on Teaching (large group)
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-4:15 Burnout (small group)
4:30-5:30 Group Photo and Reception
5:30-7:30 Dinner and Graduation

Day 7: Tuesday
7:15-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-8:15 Opening Exercise
8:15-9:30 A Serious Illness Checklist (large group)
9:30-10:00 Break
10:00-11:00 Saying Good-bye (small group)
11:00-12:00 Who's Caring for Me?