Education Lead: Dr. Desmond Leung (desmond.leung@nygh.on.ca)
Site/Medical Education Administrative Assistant: Jordan Hoeller Jordan.hoeller@nygh.on.ca
The palliative care core rotation for family practice residents is completed in the PGY2 year and is 4 weeks. Residents who are part of the Integrated Communities Stream (ICS) complete a 4-week block in their PGY1 year.
Definition of Palliative Care
Palliative care, also known as supportive care, is specialized medical care for people living with serious illnesses. It is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stresses of a serious illness - whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Residents will work as part of The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care interdisciplinary team to provide comprehensive care for patients and their families at all stages of their disease, including end-of-life.
Rotation Objectives
Manage common physical and psychological symptoms experienced by patients who have serious illness
Develop an effective approach to leading difficult conversations
Learn about community services available for patients with serious illness
Before You Start
Prior to your rotation you will be contacted by the coordinator and provided with a list of resources to help you prepare for your rotation.
Please email the coordinator six to eight weeks prior to your rotation, and inform them of any days you will need off (teaching half-days, Family Medicine clinic half-days, holidays, etc.).
Orientation:
On the first day of your rotation, visit NYGH Centre for Education (630N) anytime between 7:30 and 8:30 and you will collect your green palliative care folder.
Join us for hybrid rounds at 9:00 am. In-person in the Freeman Lounge on 3W or online on Microsoft Teams; a link will be sent to you. Your orientation will be arranged with your preceptor afterwards.
Typical schedule
Your day will begin at 9:00 am with team rounds; virtually on Microsoft Teams or in-person. You will round on your preceptors’ patients. Throughout the day, you will see new consults on different units throughout the hospital.
Teaching: There will be one-on-one teaching opportunities with Freeman Centre team members throughout each day.
Call
Residents will be expected to be on-call for one weekend during their rotation. They will be pre-scheduled taking into account their absences. Call will entail weekend rounding for Saturday and Sunday daytime; no pager coverage.
Learning Expectations
Residents may be involved in any of the following:
The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care inpatient program:
Our inpatient program offers hospital-wide consultation for patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses. As well, we have dedicated short-term acute oncology pain and symptom management beds into which we admit patients from elsewhere in hospital or directly from home. We also have access to transitional end-of-life beds for actively dying patients who have a prognosis of short days.
The Freeman and Leong Outreach programs.
The outreach program enables adults living with advanced cancer, whose wish is to die at home, to receive in-home care from a Freeman outreach physician with the support of a Clinical Nurse Specialist and other community supports as needed.
Palliative care consultation service, which provides inpatient assessment and treatment using a bio-psychosocial approach for patients and their families facing life-threatening illness.
Palliative Care Clinic, which is a consultation clinic for cancer patients for the treatment of pain and symptoms.
Supportive Care Clinic, which is a consultation clinic for patients living with non-malignant disease: primarily congestive heart failure and COPD.
Concerns:
Please feel free to contact the program assistant with questions.