Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Palliative Care Medicine (PCM) education presents unique challenges as core competencies like communication, response to grief, and engaging seriously ill patients are difficult to teach through classroom instruction. Despite didactics and modules, many medical students report feeling underprepared for end-of-life discussions. Emerging evidence suggests that experiential learning, particularly one-on-one interactions with patients, reduces learner insecurity and deepens understanding of serious illness. The Touching Lives with Empathy and Assurance in Medicine (TEAM) program at Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital was developed to address this gap through a structured, longitudinal PCM experience. This project analyzes the program’s design, implementation, and early participation outcomes.
Two student leaders and one faculty mentor organized the initiative. Students attended a one-hour orientation including hospital policies, program goals, and suggested activities. Small groups of students were assigned three to four consenting residents and encouraged to visit at least once every two weeks. Volunteer hours were tracked through a sign-in system.
Twenty students enrolled across two cohorts four months apart. Thirteen students (65%) completed at least one follow-up visit, contributing 97.5 total hours (mean 7.50 hours per participant, SD 3.53; mean visit duration 1.68 hours, SD 1.01). Cohort 1 volunteered for six months (60.7 total hours; 8.67 per student), while Cohort 2 volunteered for three months (36.8 total hours; 6.13 per student) but demonstrated slightly higher monthly engagement when adjusted for availability. Post-participation surveys assessing confidence and PCM understanding are pending IRB approval. Overall, early results support feasibility and meaningful student engagement in longitudinal experiential PCM learning.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Madeline Dunstan, Dr. Galicia-Castillo
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
dunstaml@odu.edu, galicimc@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Department of Medicine
College/School Affiliation
Eastern Virginia School of Medicine
Student Level Group
Medical
Presentation Type
Poster
Included in
Interprofessional Education Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Palliative Care Commons
Touching Lives with Empathy and Assurance in Medicine (TEAM): An Experiential Palliative Care Medicine Program for Medical Students
Palliative Care Medicine (PCM) education presents unique challenges as core competencies like communication, response to grief, and engaging seriously ill patients are difficult to teach through classroom instruction. Despite didactics and modules, many medical students report feeling underprepared for end-of-life discussions. Emerging evidence suggests that experiential learning, particularly one-on-one interactions with patients, reduces learner insecurity and deepens understanding of serious illness. The Touching Lives with Empathy and Assurance in Medicine (TEAM) program at Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital was developed to address this gap through a structured, longitudinal PCM experience. This project analyzes the program’s design, implementation, and early participation outcomes.
Two student leaders and one faculty mentor organized the initiative. Students attended a one-hour orientation including hospital policies, program goals, and suggested activities. Small groups of students were assigned three to four consenting residents and encouraged to visit at least once every two weeks. Volunteer hours were tracked through a sign-in system.
Twenty students enrolled across two cohorts four months apart. Thirteen students (65%) completed at least one follow-up visit, contributing 97.5 total hours (mean 7.50 hours per participant, SD 3.53; mean visit duration 1.68 hours, SD 1.01). Cohort 1 volunteered for six months (60.7 total hours; 8.67 per student), while Cohort 2 volunteered for three months (36.8 total hours; 6.13 per student) but demonstrated slightly higher monthly engagement when adjusted for availability. Post-participation surveys assessing confidence and PCM understanding are pending IRB approval. Overall, early results support feasibility and meaningful student engagement in longitudinal experiential PCM learning.