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Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship

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The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) offers a year-long fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) that prepares physicians to provide comprehensive palliative care for patients and their families in the setting of serious illness and injury. Our HPM program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and offers a range of clinical sites encompassing our academic medical center, home hospices, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. MUSC is a tertiary care center offering advances therapies in transplant, stroke, pediatric specialties, cancer treatment, trauma and burn serving patients across the state.

 

Fellows gain hands-on experience in diverse clinical settings, including outpatient hospice and palliative care, inpatient consult services, skilled nursing, and interdisciplinary care teams.

 

As South Carolina’s leading academic medical center and Level 1 trauma center, MUSC offers fellows exposure to a broad patient population, strong faculty mentorship, and a collaborative learning environment.

 

Graduates are eligible to sit for the hospice and palliative medicine board exam and pursue careers in academic medicine, clinical practice, and health system leadership.

Welcome from Program Director

Welcome Message

Welcome to the Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program at MUSC. We are excited that you are considering a career in palliative medicine.
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Program Details

We currently accept two fellows per year. Clinical rotations with MUSC and our affiliate sites provide fellows with a wide range of experience with varied patient populations and treatment settings.

MUSC Health

MUSC Health University Hospital is a designated Level I trauma center, a transplant center (adult and pediatric, liver, kidney, heart, lung), and a burn center (adult and pediatric). Hollings Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-Designated center in South Carolina. With the variety and magnitude of serious illness managed by our colleagues at MUSC, our fellows will see to the palliative needs of some of the most complex patients in the southeast.At least five months of inpatient palliative care consultation with our interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, advanced practice nurses, social workers, chaplains, bereavement coordinator, and palliative care volunteers.Weekly continuity experience with palliative medicine clinic with interdisciplinary team and faculty preceptors.Research and elective months based upon fellow’s scholarly interests.

Ambulatory Palliative Care Clinics

Weekly outpatient palliative care follow-up and new patient consultation for patients with a variety of serious illnesses.Opportunity for a monthlong rotation in ambulatory care clinic.

MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital

One month of inpatient pediatric palliative care consultation for patients ranging in age from neonate to teenager. The pediatric palliative care rotation also includes experience seeing patients in the Advanced Fetal Care Clinic and with Hands of Hope home hospice.Fellows with a Med-Peds background can choose to spend more time in the pediatric hospital.

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center

One of the most robust VA Medical Centers in the US, located in Charleston Medical DistrictLong history of collaboration with MUSC for clinical care and GME programs.Two months of inpatient consultation with the palliative care team.

The Village at Summerville

CCRC site with long-term relationship with MUSC Family Medicine program.Primary site for skilled nursing rotation.

Activities Offered

  • Didactics are held every Thursday and cover a wide range of core palliative care topics. They are led by experts from other primary specialties as well as our own faculty.
  • Schwartz Rounds
  • Bi-monthly collaborative case conferences with Hematology/Oncology fellows
  • Journal club is incorporated into quarterly didactic sessions and focuses on readings and research articles that are discussed among the group.
  • QI Project – Resident Performance Improvement Initiative offered through the GME office
  • Scholarly project/research
  • AAHPM and South Carolina HAPC conference attendance
  • Vital Talk training during July bootcamp

Self Care Curriculum and Wellness Opportunities 

  • Scheduled quarterly wellness sessions with palliative care fellows and chaplain
  • Robust resources after emotionally challenging cases both within the palliative care team and via hospital programs such as Arts in Healing and Pastoral Care
  • Monthly Schwartz Rounds – Caring for the Caregiver – Grand rounds style events that explore the emotional aspects of cases or themes that impact healthcare providers
  • Palliative Care team gatherings – Quarterly outings to celebrate milestones, decompress and enjoy each other’s company
  • GME-sponsored social events
  • Spouses and Significant Others (SASO) community group
  • MUSC Campus:

How to Apply

Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Completed applications must include the following:

  • Three letters of recommendation (Including one letter from the Program Director)
  • Current photograph
  • United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certificate, if applicable
  • Visa, if applicable

Eligibility

Eligible candidates have completed an ACGME-accredited residency. We welcome applicants from the primary specialties of internal medicine, family medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, emergency medicine, neurology, and psychiatry. We are open to considering candidates from other eligible primary specialties. 

What to Expect on Interview Day

MUSC currently offers virtual interviews. On your interview day, you can expect to meet our program director, program faculty, interdisciplinary team members, and current trainees. You will have the opportunity to share your background, skills, motivation to pursue fellowship, and future goals with us through a series of interviews.

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Contact Us

Amanda Overstreet, D.O.
Program Director
843-876-0888

Liz Schreiner
Fellowship Program Coordinator
843-876-9792
schrei@musc.edu

Address
169 Ashley Avenue
MSC 351 MH 224Z
Charleston, SC 29425