Graduating medical students' competencies and educational experiences in palliative care

Palliative care involves an interdisciplinary approach to patient care and specific clinical skills. Little prior research on palliative care education has involved medical students, and the few reported studies focus mainly on student attitudes. This study describes a needs assessment of senior medical students based on a newly developed competency-based palliative care curriculum. Prior to graduation, 102 senior students were mailed an anonymous survey with four parts: a self-assessment of attitudes, knowledge, and skills; adequacy of instruction; exposure to specific clinical experiences; and demographic information. The response rate was 47%. While attitudinal goals were strongly endorsed by students, they were less confident with regards to knowledge and skills. Ratings varied across the five content areas of the curriculum. The results suggest a need for educational efforts more focused on specific clinical competencies as well as systematic evaluation of student competencies. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 1997.