Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative
Abstract Background Patients with serious illness look to their clinicians for discussion and guidance on high-stakes treatment decisions, which are complex, emotional and value-laden. However, required training in serious illness communication is rare in U.S. medical schools, with efforts at curric...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03702-2 |
| _version_ | 1817986651366883328 |
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| author | Jennifer A. Reidy Melissa A. Clark Harris A. Berman Stephanie H. Chan Atul A. Gawande Jocelyn Streid Tamara Vesel Megan E. Young April Zehm Kristen G. Schaefer |
| author_facet | Jennifer A. Reidy Melissa A. Clark Harris A. Berman Stephanie H. Chan Atul A. Gawande Jocelyn Streid Tamara Vesel Megan E. Young April Zehm Kristen G. Schaefer |
| author_sort | Jennifer A. Reidy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Patients with serious illness look to their clinicians for discussion and guidance on high-stakes treatment decisions, which are complex, emotional and value-laden. However, required training in serious illness communication is rare in U.S. medical schools, with efforts at curricular reform stymied by competing institutional demands, lack of resources and accreditation requirements. We describe an approach to building and scaling medical student training in serious illness communication through the creation of a statewide collaborative of medical schools. Methods The Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative is a first-of-its-kind group that promotes longitudinal, developmentally-based curricula in serious illness communication for all students. Convened externally by the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, the collaborative includes faculty, staff, and students from four medical schools. Results The collaborative started with listening to member’s perspectives and collectively developed core competencies in serious illness communication for implementation at each school. We share early lessons on the opportunities, challenges and sustainability of our statewide collective action to influence curricular reform, which can be replicated in other topic areas. Conclusions Our next steps include curriculum mapping, student focus groups and faculty development to guide successful and enduring implementation of the competencies to impact undergraduate medical education in Massachusetts and beyond. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:11:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbd37ffc20b04943bfe50328f3698a28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:11:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbd37ffc20b04943bfe50328f3698a282022-12-22T02:23:19ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202022-09-012211610.1186/s12909-022-03702-2Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ CollaborativeJennifer A. Reidy0Melissa A. Clark1Harris A. Berman2Stephanie H. Chan3Atul A. Gawande4Jocelyn Streid5Tamara Vesel6Megan E. Young7April Zehm8Kristen G. Schaefer9UMass Memorial Medical CenterUMass Chan Medical SchoolTufts University School of MedicineMassachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness CareBrigham and Women’s HospitalBrigham and Women’s HospitalTufts University School of MedicineBoston University School of MedicineMedical College of WisconsinHarvard Medical SchoolAbstract Background Patients with serious illness look to their clinicians for discussion and guidance on high-stakes treatment decisions, which are complex, emotional and value-laden. However, required training in serious illness communication is rare in U.S. medical schools, with efforts at curricular reform stymied by competing institutional demands, lack of resources and accreditation requirements. We describe an approach to building and scaling medical student training in serious illness communication through the creation of a statewide collaborative of medical schools. Methods The Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative is a first-of-its-kind group that promotes longitudinal, developmentally-based curricula in serious illness communication for all students. Convened externally by the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, the collaborative includes faculty, staff, and students from four medical schools. Results The collaborative started with listening to member’s perspectives and collectively developed core competencies in serious illness communication for implementation at each school. We share early lessons on the opportunities, challenges and sustainability of our statewide collective action to influence curricular reform, which can be replicated in other topic areas. Conclusions Our next steps include curriculum mapping, student focus groups and faculty development to guide successful and enduring implementation of the competencies to impact undergraduate medical education in Massachusetts and beyond.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03702-2Serious illness communicationPalliative careUndergraduate medical educationCompetencies |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer A. Reidy Melissa A. Clark Harris A. Berman Stephanie H. Chan Atul A. Gawande Jocelyn Streid Tamara Vesel Megan E. Young April Zehm Kristen G. Schaefer Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative BMC Medical Education Serious illness communication Palliative care Undergraduate medical education Competencies |
| title | Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative |
| title_full | Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative |
| title_fullStr | Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative |
| title_full_unstemmed | Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative |
| title_short | Paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication: the Massachusetts Medical Schools’ Collaborative |
| title_sort | paving the way for universal medical student training in serious illness communication the massachusetts medical schools collaborative |
| topic | Serious illness communication Palliative care Undergraduate medical education Competencies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03702-2 |
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