Welcome to the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship in the department of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. This program is accredited through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME. offers a unique training experience that prepares fellows to provide compassionate, comprehensive care across a broad spectrum of serious illness. What sets our program apart is the diversity of our patient population, with fellows caring for patients with a wide range of conditions and varying levels of illness severity. This provides meaningful exposure to different disease trajectories and the many dimensions of living with serious illness.
The collaborating partners include Community Hospice to provide experience in all levels of hospice care, with ongoing development of additional partnerships for broader patient care exposure. Although currently housed under the Department of Pediatrics, this ACGME-approved one-year fellowship has an adult focus with pediatric care experience included.
Our dedicated palliative care clinic, located on the hospital campus, provides an opportunity for fellows to develop longitudinal relationships with patients and families while experiencing the continuity of care that is central to high-quality palliative medicine. Our curriculum includes 13 four-week blocks, providing a balanced experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings and allowing fellows to develop a broad and well-rounded clinical skill set.
Our program is unique from other hospice and palliative medicine programs for quite a few reasons. We serve a population with a diverse range of conditions in varying stages of severity, allowing for a broad exposure to illness trajectory. Our dedicated palliative care clinic on hospital campus allows for continuity of care. We have 13 four-week blocks that focus on patient care inside and outside of the hospital setting.
Fellows are supported by an extensive, multidisciplinary team that includes dedicated palliative care social workers, an emergency department palliative care liaison, and a pain and palliative care pharmacist. Through this collaborative environment, fellows gain a strong understanding of the social determinants of health and the community resources available to help patients and families navigate complex medical and psychosocial needs.
Our institution is also home to fellowship programs in hematology/oncology, critical care, and other specialties, creating opportunities for close collaboration across disciplines. These relationships allow our fellows to learn alongside and work closely with specialists while developing the communication and teamwork skills essential to excellent palliative care.
Perhaps most uniquely, our program is currently evolving from a pediatric-focused model to one centered on adult hospice and palliative medicine. This transition offers fellows an extraordinary opportunity to participate in program development and help shape the future of our fellowship. Fellows will not only receive exceptional clinical training, but also have the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the program and the patients and communities we serve.
We are excited to welcome you to our program and look forward to supporting you as you grow into a skilled, compassionate, and thoughtful hospice and palliative medicine physician. Please submit an application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
Thank you again for your interest in our hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. For additional information or further inquiries, please contact us.
Looking forward to advancing your goals together!
Sincerely,
Vikki Kamatgi, M.D.
