Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship FAQs

Our program combines the personalized mentorship and responsive curriculum of a smaller program with the diverse clinical experiences of an elite multi-site training program. Our curriculum, supported by content experts and resources across Harvard Medical School, prepares fellows for academic and organizational leadership careers in hospice and palliative medicine. BIDMC itself is a top-ranking academic medical center with a long-standing dedication to education, clinical care, and research. Learn more about the unique strengths of our hospital and our Department of Medicine, as well as our Palliative Care services.

Fellows in this program rotate with six affiliated organizations: BIDMC, the Boston VA, Boston Children’s Hospital, Care Dimensions, Good Shepherd Community Care, and Hebrew SeniorLife. Each site has a fellowship-appointed Site Director, and the multi-site program leadership and faculty team meet quarterly to coordinate program goals and review learner feedback. Learn more about our clinical rotations.

We recognize that the HPM clinical fellowship represents a significant growth experience over one year. Confronting serious illness as a full-time job is rewarding but also intense, emotional work. Thus, attending to our learners’ personal wellness and empowering them to be well are team priorities at BIDMC and across our affiliate sites. This emphasis is reflected formally in our curriculum’s biweekly Care for the Caregiver sessions, which include fellows-only sessions to process and reflect on the training experience with guidance from a clinical psychologist, and monthly listening/reflection sessions shared by fellows and program leadership. Fellows also have access to mental health support through free and confidential programs at BIDMC and the Boston VA.

Our program serves diverse patient populations across six affiliate organizations. We are committed to fostering inclusive, collaborative, and respectful practice environments, as these are foundational in the delivery of excellent hospice care and palliative care. We also believe that our program’s mission to train the next generation of HPM clinician-leaders is inseparable from the field’s great need to elevate, recruit, and retain trainees of diverse age, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and disability. The fellowship’s core curriculum includes a critical examination of biases and systemic injustices perpetuated within the field of HPM. At BIDMC, we as a Palliative Care team have completed implicit bias reduction and upstander intervention training. We are committed to working closely with the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to foster a diverse community of learners in the Department of Medicine and throughout the medical center.

We accept applications through ERAS. Learn more about our application requirements and timelines.

The program provides full benefits for all fellows. Benefits are detailed in the Graduate Medical Education section. If you have questions, you can contact the Benefits Office at 617-632-9400 or by email.

As a program, we prioritize our fellows’ education above service for service’s sake. To gain valuable experience in managing acute symptoms and triaging urgent consult requests, fellows are paired with an attending to be “on-call” for 6 weekends over the year: 3 in-person weekends while rotating with the BIDMC Palliative Care Service, and 3 weekends on phone call while rotating with the Boston VA Palliative Care team. There is no additional call while rotating at the other affiliate sites, and no additional weekday or nighttime call. Fellows have federal and statewide holidays off. Fellows receive 4 weeks of vacation (3 one-week blocks and 5 individual days to use as needed). Fellows are also supported in attending the AAHPM Annual Assembly.

Yes, the program accepts trainees with either J-1 or H1-B visa with an ECFMG certificate.

If you have questions about your application, the application process, or the fellowship program, please contact Nina Dones via email or call 617-667-1320.