Palliative medicine Death Rounds: small group learning on a vital subject

Abstract

Background: The medical student's experience with patients' dying and death has profound impact on personal and professional development. Death Rounds at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine is a small group educational model that promotes student self-reflection, metacognition, professional growth, and collegial support.

Objective: To describe the implementation and evaluation activities of a third year clerkship Death Rounds which are a structured, institutionally supported resource for helping students to understand the clinical, ethical, legal, professional, cultural, and spiritual aspects of death.

Design: Medical students attend 2 to 3 small group palliative medicine Death Rounds sessions, facilitated by the attending clerkship director, chief residents, and a palliative care physician.

Conclusions: The students' assessment of their palliative medicine knowledge and skills in 5 categories before and after participation in Death Rounds rated their skills after Death Rounds higher with effect sizes ranging from 0.9 to 1.9. Evidence from both the Death Rounds Questionnaire and Facilitators' Logs demonstrates that multiple issues and topics were addressed and all associated with the School of Medicine's 6 core competencies. Death Rounds minimally affect on clerkship time and faculty resources.