Mayo Clinic Hospice and palliative medicine fellows discussing a case
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Overview

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, is an intraprofessional fellowship that trains three physicians and two advanced practice clinicians as a single fellowship class. This fellowship offers all the essential clinical, didactic, and research components of subspecialty-level hospice and palliative medicine. Additionally, the intraprofessional nature of the training provides advanced insight and expertise in team-based care and the various team member roles intrinsic to quality palliative care.

The goal of the fellowship is to develop academic leaders in hospice and palliative medicine who have outstanding skills in clinical palliative medicine, research, medical education, and administration.

Fellows who complete the clinical year are able to evaluate and manage patients across the continuum of palliative medicine from diagnosis through end-of-life. This includes inpatient, outpatient, and consultative palliative medicine; inpatient and home-based hospice.

Unique opportunities you have at Mayo Clinic include:

  • The committed core teaching faculty is made up of board-certified palliative medicine physicians
  • In addition to a rich clinical environment, the academic infrastructure and opportunities to develop skills as an academician are outstanding at Mayo Clinic
  • There are tremendous opportunities and outstanding mentorship in each of the three shields of Mayo Clinic: clinical practice, education, and research
  • The opportunity to follow your longitudinal patients during transitions of care from outpatient to inpatient and hospice as the physician of record through the outpatient continuity clinic
  • Exposure to the business and administrative aspects of palliative care
  • Training in basic research skills, quality improvement, and clinical education

Upon completion of the training, you will be equipped with skills that promote resiliency and self-care in order to continue to foster passion for your work throughout your career. 

For fellows who are interested in a research career, we offer an optional, unaccredited second year focused on a research project. During this year, you have the opportunity to complete the Postdoctoral Certificate Program through the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCATS). You will also have one half-day a week in the clinic to maintain clinical skills.

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Mayo Clinic Hospice and Palliative Care Intraprofessional Fellowship

Mayo Clinic Hospice and Palliative Care Intraprofessional Fellowship

Hospice and Palliative Care fellows in a meeting at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Your training experience

As a fellow at Mayo Clinic, you'll have access to robust clinical, educational, and research resources. You'll find support both inside and outside of the campus to promote physical and mental wellness and ensure your work/life balance.

More about the curriculum

More about life as a fellow

April Christensen, M.D., M.S.

Director's welcome

As a graduate of this fellowship, you will possess expertise in the areas of refractory pain and non-pain symptom management, pharmacology, and complex communication skills. You are exposed to patients of all ages with a wide array of complex illnesses at many different stages of disease.

More from the program director

See our graduate outcomes

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is a Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education program within the Mayo Clinic Center of Palliative Medicine.

Accreditation

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and fulfills the requirements for fellowship training in hospice and palliative medicine as outlined by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the ACGME's Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine.

Certification

After successfully completing the program, you are eligible to take the hospice and palliative medicine board exam through the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Program history

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Mayo Clinic was established in 2007 and accepted its first fellow in 2008. Since 2008, we have grown to our current size of accepting five intraprofessional fellows per year - three physician fellows and two advanced practice clinician fellows.

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Choosing Mayo Clinic

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Campus and community

Rochester, MN

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Stipend and benefits