Duke University Hospital Palliative Medicine Service
Duke University Hospital (DUH) Palliative Medicine Rotation provides experience and teaching on the provision of inpatient palliative medicine in an academic tertiary care center. Fellows develop expertise in symptom management, communication, interdisciplinary teamwork and teaching in the setting of a busy academic inpatient palliative medicine consultation service. Features unique to this experience include providing consultation and co-management in a setting of cutting-edge, technologically advanced tertiary medical care with unique populations, such as post-organ transplant, bone marrow transplant, and those receiving interventions such as ECMO, RVADs and LVADs. The Duke Palliative Medicine Service is an interdisciplinary team with a dedicated social worker, dedicated Nurse Practitioners and Palliative Care Chaplains in training. The service has over 1000 consults per year and serves all areas of Duke Hospital, except Pediatrics.
Durham VA Medical Center Palliative Care Service
The Durham VA Medical Center, located across the street from Duke University Hospital, serves veterans from central and eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia with a diverse array of diseases and medical needs. The DVAMC Palliative Care Service provides hospice care in a 10-bed dedicated inpatient hospice unit, inpatient palliative medicine consultations, and ambulatory Palliative Care. This allows Fellows to care for patients longitudinally and across settings of care. The DVAMC Palliative Care interdisciplinary team includes a clinical pharmacist, social worker, nurse practitioner, chaplain, psychologist and physicians, including the fellow and three faculty physicians. The inpatient hospice interdisciplinary team adds dedicated nursing staff, recreation therapy, and a dietician. This allows the Fellow to learn to participate in and lead interdisciplinary team care.
Duke Homecare and Hospice
Duke Homecare and Hospice has a 12 bed inpatient hospice unit, Hock Family Pavilion, as well as a home hospice program. This rotation provides education and experience in care in a community hospice setting, as well as in hospice regulation and management.
Pediatric Rotation
The Pediatric Quality of Life Program (Palliative Care) at Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center offers comprehensive, family-centered care for children with complex, life-threatening or chronic conditions. Pediatric track fellow rotates for four months and Adult fellows rotate for two weeks with a variety of pediatric services providing care for children with complex, life-threatening or chronic conditions.
Elective Rotations
The fellowship includes 4 weeks of elective time, typically divided into two two-week clinical elective rotations. These are chosen by the Fellow to improve their clinical skills or augment knowledge in an area of care in which they desire more exposure. Recent choices by Fellows include Radiation Oncology, Neurology, Geriatric Medicine, and Interventional Pain Management. With sufficient planning, Fellows may customize elective time.