Are we teaching health science students in the United States what they need to know about death and dying coping strategies?

Abstract

Purpose: This investigation aimed to answer the following questions: Are health science students provided with death and dying education before attending clinical rotations, and if so, do the students receiving this type of education perceive it as effective?Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional survey, 96 Midwestern State University health science students were surveyed to determine the percentage of students who had received death and dying education before clinical rotations, as well as the students’ perception of educational effectiveness for those who had received end-of-life training. A self-report questionnaire presented nursing, radiologic sciences, and respiratory care students with a series of questions pertaining to the education they had received concerning the death and dying process of patients.Results: Of the 93 students who had already started their clinical rotations, 55 stated they had not received death and dying education before starting clinical courses. Of the 38 who had received death and dying education, only 17 students believed the training was effective.Conclusion: It is imperative that health science educational programs implement death and dying education and training into the curriculum, and that criteria for evaluating effectiveness be an essential part of death and dying education and training in order to ensure effectiveness.

Communication skills training in advance care planning: a survey among medical students at the University of Antwerp

“…In 2011, Gibbins and colleagues already stated that junior doctors are not adequately prepared for the care of dying patients [ 19 ]. Our students expressed a need for more dedicated attention to PC and ACP, which is comparable to findings obtained in Germany and the United States [ 16 , 17 ]. Other studies show that the interest of medical students in acquiring PC competencies is high [ 20 ].…”

“…The European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC) is actively striving to include PC early on in the medical curriculum [13,14]. Despite the fact that many countries, including Belgium, have already integrated the PC component into the undergraduate training program, the amount of time spent on PC education is very limited [6,8,10,[15][16][17].…”

Communication skills training in advance care planning: a survey among medical students at the University of Antwerp

“…(25) Despite this fact and even though our respondents showed to have good basic knowledge of PC, many still expressed a need for more dedicated attention to PC and ACP, which is comparable to ndings obtained in the United States and Germany. (10,14) The greater majority of our students rated their con dence in general communicative skills as good (most notably their empathetic abilities, sense of respect for and knowledge of different cultures and beliefs, and informed consent issues). However, when it came to communication skills speci c to PC and ACP (e.g., their ability to cope with a palliative/dying patient, discussing ACP, and negotiating treatment goals), their scores before and after the PC training course re ected far less assuredness, indicating that these speci c skills warrant more attention and training during the internships, especially since at this stage of their careers students may underestimate the power of good communication skills in clinical practice.…”

“…(8) Despite the fact that many countries, including Belgium, have already integrated the PC component into the undergraduate training program, the amount of time spent on PC education is very limited. (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) Due to the scaling down of the medicine curriculum from seven to six years, in Belgium, the mandatory classes on PC at the University of Antwerp, comprising a full week of knowledge sharing were scrapped.…”