Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

medical professional with patient in hospice care

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellowship offers a robust, interdisciplinary training for aspiring practitioners who are interested in pursuing a specialty in palliative and end of life care. During this rigorous, one-year program, fellows will work with experienced physicians to learn the nuances of life-limiting illnesses and patients’ quality of life. Fellows will become experienced in complex decision-making, assessment and management of physical, psychosocial and spiritual distress faced by patients and their loved ones.

Why UNR Med?

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program that offers robust clinical training in palliative and end-of-life care. In this program, you will learn to manage the symptoms and stress associated with life-threatening illnesses while focusing on enhancing patients' quality of life.

With a strong interdisciplinary team approach, the fellowship includes rotations at various clinical sites such as Renown Medical Center and the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System to ensure a well-rounded experience in palliative care for diverse populations. Established in 2008, this is a small and close-knit fellowship that offers strong faculty support and a deep knowledge of end-of-life care.

Fellows will provide palliative and hospice care to both adults and children. You will also have the opportunity to explore symptom management interventions, ethical implications and both clinical and non-clinical issues related to advanced illness, the dying process, and bereavement. By the end of this program, you will have a high level of expertise in addressing the multi-faceted needs of patients with life-limiting illnesses.

Salary Schedule

UNR Med deeply values our residents’ commitment by offering competitive salary and benefits packages. With no state income tax, Nevada residents can expect to receive a higher net salary compared to resident programs in other states.

Salary Schedule

Resources

UNR Med is committed to supporting our residents with the resources needed to ensure a successful and rewarding experience over the duration of your training.

Resident Resources

Handbook

The Resident Handbook outlines the policies and procedures of the residency program. Residents are expected to comply with these policies to ensure that all residents are working in a fair, supportive and equitable environment.

Resident Handbook

Curriculum

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is a one-year training program that is almost entirely dedicated to the clinical experience. At the time, we do not offer alternative tracts such as research or pediatrics. However, fellows will provide palliative and hospice care for both adults and children. Additionally, you have the opportunity to attend subspecialty clinics focused on palliative care and chronic disease such as COPD, CHF, wound care and home-based primary care during elective rotations.

This program is comprised of 12 one-month blocks of rotations at clinical sites which include inpatient, outpatient and nursing facility experience relevant to hospice and palliative medicine education. Rotations include administrative, clinical care, quality improvement, team care planning and house staff teaching duties.

In addition, you will rotate through settings such as radiation and medical oncology, pain management and outpatient palliative clinics. As a fellow, you will work with a variety of skilled health care professionals including nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, rehab staff, chaplains, nutritionists and nurses on care planning and case management as part of an interdisciplinary team.

Weekly didactic sessions are also provided by and for fellows through live presentations, journal club, webcasts and online-based educational sessions. These sessions are designed to fit different learning styles to ensure academic success. You will receive frequent close mentoring and collaborative opportunities with our talented HPM faculty.

Fellows have access to paid memberships in professional societies, educational materials and funding for conference presentations. Moonlighting is allowed with program approval.

Application information

To apply for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship, candidates must be board-eligible or board-certified physicians, most commonly in medicine, family medicine or emergency medicine. However, we will, and do, consider compelling applicants from any subspecialty.

Applications open in mid-July and can be submitted through ERAS. Interviews are scheduled from August through October on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Up to three fellows are accepted into the program each year.

Ready to take the next step in your medical career?

Apply today
hospice medical professional with patient in clinical setting