"Opening eyes to real interprofessional education": results of a national faculty development initiative focused on interprofessional education in oncology palliative care.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' feedback related to their experience in the Interprofessional Education Exchange (iPEX) program, a training initiative for faculty development in interprofessional oncology palliative care education. Participants voluntarily submitted a written reflection using a guide. The research team used qualitative content template analysis techniques to determine codes and categories based on the reflections and selected representative quotations (meaning units) from the data. Fifty-three reflections (100%) submitted by those completing the training were included in the analysis. The most appreciated aspects of the training were the opportunity for exchange of ideas and programs and the time allowed during the workshop for each team to work on developing their unique plan for interprofessional education (IPE) in oncology palliative care at their home institution. The iPEX program proved to be feasible, well-accepted, and valued by participants who reported personal, professional, and team growth and expressed appreciation for program support, content, and the exchange of ideas in a face-to-face setting. The results demonstrate that a faculty development program built on recommendations in the literature contributed to successful efforts to plan and initiate IPE in oncology palliative care.

Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Teaching Team-Based Palliative Care Integration in Oncology.

For students of the health care professions to succeed in today's health care environment, they must be prepared to collaborate with other professionals and practice on interdisciplinary teams. As most will care for patients with cancer, they must also understand the principles of palliative care and its integration into oncology. This article reports the success of one university's effort to design and implement an interdisciplinary curriculum teaching team-based palliative care in oncology which was mandatory for medical, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy students. Quantitative evaluation indicated that students made significant improvements related to palliative care knowledge and skills and readiness for interprofessional education. Qualitative feedback revealed that students appreciated the experiential aspects of the curriculum most, especially the opportunity to observe palliative teams at work and practice team-based skills with other learners. While there exist many obstacles to interprofessional education and hands-on learning, the value of such experiences to the learners justifies efforts to initiate and continue similar programs in the health sciences.

"Look at me, but don't!"--Revisiting the narcissistic dilemma in clinical pastoral supervision.

Clinical Pastoral Education is a shame-sensitive endeavor. This article discusses the impact of shame in supervision by considering students' experiences of shame as well as the supervisor's shame and their resulting dilemmas. Exploring the paradox of shame from a psychological and theological perspective, the author suggests that shame can serve students' self-discovery, if it is engaged through pastoral confirmation and transformative interventions. Empathic attunement and humor are highlighted as effective means in such interventions.

The development of an outcome oriented and research informed spiritual care assessment and documentation form for the electronic health record in an adult hospital setting.

Standards for professional chaplaincy expect chaplains to document their work in patients' medical records, but no agreed upon standard for the content or format of such documentation exists. With the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in many hospitals, chaplains may utilize a provided electronic form or one that can be customized from a basic format to departmental specifications. Ideally, the documentation form supports and reflects the work of chaplains in their specific clinical context. Outcome oriented models of chaplaincy and an increasing focus on a research informed practice of spiritual care should determine the format and content of chaplains' documentation in the EHR. This article describes how a chaplaincy department in an adult academic Level I trauma center designed and implemented a spiritual care documentation form for the EHR. The documentation template is informed by clinical expertise and by research about patients' meaning-making activities and patients' experience of connectedness in the context of illness. It integrates a consensus-based assessment form with narrative documentation options, searchable selections, and an outcome-oriented plan of care.

The Interprofessional Education Exchange: The Impact of a Faculty Development Program in Interprofessional Palliative Oncology Education on Trainee Competencies, Skills, and Satisfaction.

Background: The interprofessional education exchange (iPEX) provides education, training, and mentoring to select interprofessional faculty trainee teams for development and implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) in palliative oncology. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the iPEX project on trainees' self-efficacy in IPE skills and IPE competencies. Design: A pre-/post-test design was used to evaluate trainees' progress. Trainees rated project components and developed IPE curricula in palliative oncology. Setting/Subjects: Sixteen United States-based faculty teams consisting of four to five members representing three or more disciplines completed the one-year faculty development project consisting of webinars, online interactive modules, a face-to-face workshop, mentoring, and assistance. The exchange of ideas, means for overcoming obstacles, collaborative teaching techniques, and curriculum development guidelines were integrated into the program. Measurements: Standardized measures of self-efficacy in IPE skills (Interprofessional Facilitation Skills Checklist) and IPE competencies (Core Competencies for Interprofessional Practice Individual Competency Assessment Tool) were used. Trainees rated the effectiveness of the project components on a scale of 1-5 (1 = not at all effective, 5 = extremely effective) and reported their plan for IPE palliative care curricula at their home institution. Results: Pre and post-paired samples t-test scores (n = 78) on both standardized instruments for IPE skills and competencies were significantly different (p < 0.001). Ratings of project components ranged from 3.97 to 4.90. Each team successfully developed a unique plan for IPE in palliative oncology. Conclusions: Multimodal faculty development and mentoring are successful means for improving self-assessed IPE skills and competencies.

"For the hatching of our hearts": friendship, pastoral care, and the formation for ministry.

The author explores the notion of friendship by drawing on personal and ministry experience, as well as on philosophical and biblical insights, in order to suggest a dynamic practice of pastoral care and a process of ministry formation which transcends the professional paradigm and the peership principle. He suggests that the power to bless, the ability to extend grace, and the potential for change are dynamics of friendship which are effective both in pastoral care and in ministry formation.

The Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Oncology Palliative Care Education (iCOPE): meeting the challenge of interprofessional education.

UNLABELLED: Background: Interprofessional education is necessary to prepare students of the health professions for successful practice in today's health care environment. Because of its expertise in interdisciplinary practice and team-based care, palliative care should be leading the way in creating educational opportunities for students to learn the skills for team practice and provision of quality patient-centered care. Multiple barriers exist that can discourage those desiring to create and implement truly interdisciplinary curriculum. DESIGN: An interdisciplinary faculty team planned and piloted a mandatory interdisciplinary palliative oncology curriculum and responded to formative feedback. SETTING/SUBJECTS: The project took place at a large public metropolitan university. Medical, nursing, and social work students and chaplains completing a clinical pastoral education internship participated in the curriculum. MEASUREMENTS: Formative feedback was received via the consultation of an interdisciplinary group of palliative education experts, focus groups from students, and student evaluations of each learning modality. RESULTS: Multiple barriers were experienced and successfully addressed by the faculty team. Curricular components were redesigned based on formative feedback. Openness to this feedback coupled with flexibility and compromise enabled the faculty team to create an efficient, sustainable, and feasible interdisciplinary palliative oncology curriculum. CONCLUSION: Interdisciplinary palliative education can be successful if faculty teams are willing to confront challenges, accept feedback on multiple levels, and compromise while maintaining focus on desired learner outcomes.