Care of the Dying Journal Club

The lack in our medical education of adequate information about the care of the dying is pervasive and ongoing. This project's purpose is to provide information and a forum for students to discuss topics about good care of the dying.

Project Description

A Care of the Dying Journal Club will do what any other journal club does: ask its members to read certain material before a meeting, and then meet to discuss what was read. This journal club can be informal, or formal. We encourage you who are interested to begin one, or join existing ones. Your local AMSA chapter should support your efforts- with its resources. Who should decide what should be read? Your journal club should. A nice democratic method is to have each member lead at least one meeting, and as leader determine what should be read, and should moderate discussion at each meeting. How often should you meet? Your journal club should decide what it can handle. What will you discuss? Enclosed on this archive disk is a very complete bibliography of resources. Also ask for the input of your school's ethics department. As your Journal Club gets more advanced, you may wish to include invitations to speakers to speak at your meetings about a topic that you discussed. You will have adequate background to sound intelligent and your speaker can bring your Club up to date on the topics. Good speakers on Care of the Dying include Family Practitioners, specialists in Geriatrics, HIV/ Infectious Disease specialists, Hematology/Oncology Physicians and Hospice/Palliative Care specialists.

Project Funding

The first resource is your local AMSA chapter and other student groups, i.e. your student senate. See if there are any funds from these student sources first. A nifty idea is to write an AMSA Local Chapter Project Grant, which is a fund at the National AMSA level made for just such projects as this. You write and apply for funding (see your AMSA chapter president for the form). AMA-MSS, AMWA, SNMA and other national medical student organizations also have project grant money that may be of use to you. Also consider any other source you would fundraise from: certain pharmaceutical companies have educational funds, as may your school itself for just such a purpose. Ask your alumni office if this is something that could be supported by alumni contributions. Consider Departments within the hospital to see if they might support this educational purpose. Just remember that as you involve more "official" sources, you are subject to their rules concerning use of funds. And as always, keep your books balanced and be prepared to show that your Care of the Dying Journal Club was a worthy investment.

Reading List

1. Lynn, Joanne et al, Sick to Death and Not Going to Take it Anymore, Oxford University Press 2004
2. Lynn, Joanne et al, Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness, Oxford University Press 2001
3. Lynn, Joanne, Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Healthcare Managers and Clinicians, Oxford University Press 2000
4. Quill, Timothy et al, Physician Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice, Johns Hopkins University Press 2004
5. Quill, Timothy, A Midwife Through the Dying Process: Stories of healing and hard choices at the end of life, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002
6. Snyder, Louis and Quill, Timothy, Physicians Guide to End of Life Care, American College of Physicians 2001
7. Quill, Timothy, Care for Patients at the End of Life: Facing an Uncertain Future Together, Oxford University Press 2001
8. Quill, Timothy, Death and Dignity: Making Choices and Taking Charge, W.W. Norton and Company 1994