FMD 900 Faith, Medicine And End-Of-Life Care, 4 credits

Students will work directly with hospital chaplains, hospice chaplains, a psychologist and physicians who practice whole person health care using the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model.

Students will gain knowledge of different faiths and the role faith plays in health and well-being. They will learn about the role of hospital and hospice chaplains and will gain an understanding of when to refer patients to them.

This course will also help students demonstrate knowledge and skills in taking a spiritual history and addressing issues relating to faith.

Part of this elective will focus on in-person clinical care and the other part will focus on writing a clinical case study. Using personal experiences, a literature search and creative thinking, students will write about a patient (real or fictional) whose health and well-being were somehow affected by their spiritual beliefs and practices.

Prerequisite: MS3 or MS4

Modules: D-F (Fall), H-L (Spring) Blocks: 2A-2C (Fall), 3A-4B (Spring)

Number of students: 2

Course Director: David M. Holmes, MD