Participants Sought for Practicing End-of-Life Conversations at Death & Dying Fellowship on April 1

Current Death and Dying Fellows at Shadyside Hospital.

The JHF and Health Careers Futures Fellowship on Death and Dying concludes on April 1 with 33 Fellows practicing their skills in conducting end-of-life conversations.

Many of the faculty from throughout the Fellowship will be participating. We invite our board members and JHF friends to join the practice sessions as well. The ideal participant would bring some expertise, either through professional training or personal experience. The goal is to offer practice in a skill that a formal education in medicine does not necessarily provide.

The April 1 session will be held Downtown at the QI²T Center, 650 Smithfield Street, Suite 2600. Robert Arnold, MD, chief medical officer of the UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute, will be the guest faculty member. The session runs from 5 to 8 p.m., including dinner, but volunteers need not stay for the duration.

If interested, please contact JHF Chief Program Officer and COO Nancy Zionts at zionts@jhf.org or 412-594-2559.

Most of the Fellowship's sessions are site visits. The February 25 session was held at the Charles M. Morris Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, operated by the Jewish Association on Aging. The topic was "Spirituality at End of Life & End of Life in Long-Term Care." The session also included a firsthand narrative by JHF Trustee Theresa Brown, RN, a home hospice nurse and author.