• Nationwide Children's Hospital - Palliative Fellowship Program
• Ohio’s Hospice
• Mount Carmel Hospice

Most educational sessions are shared with the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellows at OhioHealth and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to provide a collaborative learning environment that draws on Hospice and Palliative Medicine experts in the Greater Columbus area.

Program tracks

Blocks - Rotation for Adult Program

• 1 - Boot Camp
• 5 - Inpatient Palliative Medicine Consultation Service
• 2 - Home Hospice
• 1 - Inpatient Pediatric Palliative Medicine Consultation Service
• 1 - Long-Term Care/Inpatient Hospice Unit
• 1 - Elective 
• 0.5 – Inpatient Palliative Unit
• 0.5 – Outpatient Palliative
• 0.5 - Research/Quality Improvement Project
• 0.5 - Pharmacology

• 1 - Boot Camp
• 3 - Inpatient Adult Palliative Medicine Consultation Service
• 3 - Inpatient Pediatric Palliative Medicine Consultation Service
• 1 - Adult Home Hospice
• 1 - Pediatric Home Hospice
• 1 - Elective (Interventional Pain, Geriatrics, etc.)
• 1 - Long-Term Care/Inpatient Hospice Unit
• 0.5 - Research/Quality Improvement Project
• 0.5 – Outpatient Palliative
• 0.5 – Inpatient Palliative Unit
• 0.5 - Pharmacology

Each block is four weeks for a total of 13 blocks.

Continuity clinic

Fellows have an ambulatory clinic weekly during which they will see a diverse patient population including patients experiencing the following serious illnesses: cancer, heart failure, lung disease, neurologic disorders, etc. For those fellows interested in the Adult/Pediatric track, fellows will split their time between the Palliative Care Clinic at Ohio State University and the Complex Care Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Foundational knowledge rotations

• Boot Camp — This rotation is designed to orient the fellow to the hospital system and to key Palliative Medicine concepts through workshops, small group discussions, literature review and clinical teaching.  
• Pharmacology rotation —Fellows spend two weeks with the Palliative Medicine pharmacist on a clinical inpatient and outpatient service to deepen their knowledge on the pharmacology of symptom management (e.g., use of opioids in renal and/or hepatic dysfunction, pharmacologic options for management of delirium, anorexia/cachexia, insomnia, malignant bowel obstruction, etc.).

Inpatient consultation service rotations

Fellows spend a total of five blocks on inpatient consultation services with an interdisciplinary team (including chaplain, social worker and pharmacist), an APN, an attending, and often medical students and residents. Adult/Peds track fellows spend three months on the consultation service at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Adult track fellows will rotate through the four hospitals below:

• The James Comprehensive Cancer Center — Fellows care for patients with cancer at all stages of disease and all levels of treatment, including clinical trials. Fellows consult on patients with both solid and hematologic malignancies, including patients who will or have undergone a bone marrow transplant as well as patients with nonmalignant hematologic illnesses such as sickle cell disease.
• The University Hospital — Fellows care for a diverse patient population in the intensive care units (medical, surgical, neurological), Harding Psychiatric Hospital, Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital and on the general medical and surgical services.
• The Ross Heart Hospital service — Fellows care for patients with advanced heart failure as well as patients receiving advanced heart therapies and undergoing high-risk procedures (e.g., LVADs, transplants, TAVR, ECMO). 
• East Hospital — Fellows work in MICU and progressive ICU in a community hospital setting. 

Pediatric Palliative Medicine rotation

Fellows provide care to children with complex palliative care needs in the following settings associated with Nationwide Children’s Hospital: patients’ homes (both palliative care and hospice), complex care clinics and inpatient consultation.

Hospice rotation

Fellows spend a total of two blocks with Mount Carmel Hospice. Fellows participate in the care of hospice patients in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team in patients’ homes, a skilled nursing facility and an inpatient hospice unit.

Ohio’s Hospice

Fellows spend 0.5 block providing clinical care at Ohio State’s 12-bed inpatient hospice unit.

Elective

Fellows select from a large number of electives to allow further exposure to fields related to Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Some electives that have been chosen by past fellows include:

• Hematology/oncology
• Congestive heart failure
• Ethics
• Medical Intensive Care Unit
• Integrative Medicine
• Pediatric (inpatient and outpatient)
• Geriatrics
• Spiritual care
• Interventional pain
• Addiction

Scholarly activity rotation

Fellows spend 0.5 block focusing exclusively on their scholarly activities. Fellows complete a quality improvement project with close supervision from the Palliative Medicine faculty. In addition, fellows present a topic of interest at the Division of Palliative Medicine Grand Rounds with mentorship on developing an effective lecture. Finally, fellows are strongly encouraged to work on another scholarly activity with close faculty supervision (e.g., a case report, a Fast Fact, literature review, presentations at local or national meetings).

Billing curriculum

Fellows are involved in didactics, small group discussion and chart review throughout the year designed to teach the components of a comprehensive palliative care consultation and integration of billing requirements.

Communication curriculum

Fellows meet monthly for small group workshops that teach patient-centered communication strategies through simulated patient experiences. They also attend three half-day communication workshops, emphasizing VitalTalk concepts and skills.

Ethics curriculum

Fellows learn to recognize and manage ethical issues in the practice of Hospice and Palliative Medicine through a reading list, lectures and small group discussions.   

Spirituality curriculum

Fellows learn to screen for and address existential and spiritual distress for patients and their loved ones who are facing serious illness. Fellows participate in multiple workshops throughout the year to gain knowledge and skills regarding the spiritual needs of patients from major world religions with a particular focus on end-of-life care.  

Chemical dependency curriculum

Fellows develop basic knowledge and skills in caring for Hospice and Palliative Medicine patients with current and/or prior chemical dependency issues through longitudinal lectures, workshops and precepted clinical care.

Structured learning activities

Fellows have ample protected time for learning during their block rotations. Educational sessions occur weekly on Friday mornings. Fellows from The Ohio State University, OhioHealth and Nationwide Children’s Hospital participate in these sessions together to foster collaborative learning. The educational sessions include:

• Ethics curriculum
• Psychosocial curriculum
• Communication curriculum
• Billing curriculum
• Spirituality curriculum
• Chemical dependency curriculum
• Journal club
• Case conference

Application process

Fellow applicants must have completed or will complete an ACGME or AOA-accredited residency program in Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine (including combined Internal Medicine/Pediatric programs), Pediatrics, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology or Surgery. In addition, fellow applicants must be board-certified or board-eligible with demonstration of active pursuit of certification.

To apply:

Applicants interested in pursuing fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center should follow the instructions via ERAS.

ERAS applications open July 1 for entry in July one year later.