Description:
The Kansas City Hospice House is a 32 bed acute inpatient Hospice facility which provides inpatient services for the patients of Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care. The average length of stay is four days and a wide range of diagnoses are present including non-cancer diagnoses such as stroke, dementia, sepsis, renal failure among others. During these months the fellow gains in depth exposure to acute pain and symptom management, management of the natural dying process, and counseling for patients and families dealing with end of life issues. The fellow will work very closely with an interdisciplinary team of social workers, chaplains, music therapists, pharmacists dieticians and others.
Overview of Kansas City Hospice House
The fellow will make daily rounds during the week, interacting with the nurses (RN, LPN), care assistants, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, music/art therapists, and dietary on an ad hoc basis as clinical needs arise. Many of these informal interactions form the basis of acute, timely clinical care. These staff will be encouraged to collaborate with the fellow as learners and as teachers. The fellow will seek appropriate members of the IDT to assist and educate in difficult situations. The fellow will spend a total of 4 months in the inpatient hospice venue, spread across the year. In the second 2 rotations, the fellow will function more independently as the patient/family care provider, with ongoing support from the Palliative Medicine/Hospice attending.
To emphasize team collaboration the fellow will also be encouraged to assist other team members in their duties, even ones typically thought outside a physician’s role. These can be teachable moments about respect of the team, building camaraderie, and seeing a patient through the eyes of another member of the IDT. These duties will never be a primary responsibility of the fellow, nor take away from primary medical duties and education opportunities.
Family meetings are held as needed with the fellow, attending, social worker, patient and family in attendance. Once a week the IDT meets formally for two hours to discuss patients and families. The fellow will be present to review patients along with the rotating attending. The fellow will be expected to have a firm understanding of the patient’s medical issues, will collaborate with the IDT to elucidate any psychosocial issues to be addressed, and will serve as leader for these meetings as the year progresses and the fellow develops skill.
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The University of Kansas Medical Center