Reframing Views of Terminally Ill Patients and the Radiation Therapists' Role in Their Care through Engaged Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to explore innovative teaching methodologies to reframe radiation therapy students' perceptions of who a terminally ill patient is. This will allow students to better meet their patients' needs in their future work with this unique demographic. Methods: This qualitative case study explores the experiential and transformational learning that took place when a hospice-based engaged scholarship project was incorporated into a radiation therapy course. Data presented consists of students' individual guided reflection answers and individual student interviews reflecting on their experience working with hospice patients. R esultats: Ce projet a permis aux etudiants de constater que la camaraderie etait l'un des plus grands besoins de ces patients et ils pr evoient int egrer cette information dans leur pratique clinique future. Les etudiants en ont aussi tir e une meilleure compr ehension de la diff erence entre les soins curatifs et palliatifs, et ils ont revu leurs id ees pr econçues a propos des patients de soins palliatifs qu'ils voyaient en clinique. The author(s) have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to declare.

Radiation Therapy Students′ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Cancer Patients

“…Morrison et al [30] found that learning from palliative care experts (such as clinical radiation therapists) helped to change negative perceptions and attitudes, decreased avoidant behaviour, and led to higher student self-efficacy for care of palliative patients. A recent study with radiation therapy students volunteering in a hospice [21] found that utilization of knowledge through practical application helped students appreciate the complexity and role of PEOLC by broadening their knowledge about how to best meet the multiple psychosocial needs of terminally ill patients. Similarly herein, students early in their training focused on the technical and physical aspects of care; however, those with professional experience, placed more focus on holism and the role of family.…”

“…These activities should include opportunities to interact and learn from palliative care experts, patients, and their families in both simulated and real-life situations. Experiential learning through simulated-learning or direct interaction with patients, family members, and PEOLC experts in both hospital and community-based programs (ie, palliative care wards and hospices) have been found to increase awareness and promote a greater understanding about PEOLC practices [21,41]. This can positively impact students' ability to communicate more knowledgeably with patients and family members about their PEOLC.…”

“…In addition to self-reflection, findings from this study suggest that students welcome the opportunity to learn from each other, as clinical experiences can be quite varied based on geographical location and patient population. Written reflections or small group discussions in person or via online discussion boards allow students to share experiences and critically evaluate how events may influence their future professional practices [21,30,41].…”

“…The lack of formal inclusion of PEOLC concepts in curricula at the undergraduate level has been well documented for other professions, resulting in a negative impact on effective skill development [6,13,17,19,20]. This suggests that the inclusion of PEOLC concepts within the radiation therapy undergraduate curricula may better prepare students to provide high-quality care on entering the workforce and begin to contribute to improving patients' overall quality of life through improved ability and willingness of the HCP to engage in PEOLC [6,12,17,[20][21][22]. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine radiation therapy students' existing knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward PEOLC and how professional and personal experiences influenced those factors.…”