Florida-based Avow Hospice is now participating in NCH Health Systems fellowship program for hospice and palliative care physicians.
Amid a challenging labor market, education and training for hospice and palliative care clinicians is a growing priority.
Currently, most medical and nursing students receive very little exposure to the principles behind those services. This can make recruitment more difficult for hospices and contribute to widespread misconceptions about their services among clinicians in other settings.
“As Southwest Florida continues to grow in population and more people choose to retire in Collier County, there is an increased need for trained physicians in palliative and end-of-life care,” Avow President and CEO Jaysen Roa said in a statement. “Avow aims always to be ready to serve this community, particularly with the expansion of care in palliative medicine, which is predicted to grow exponentially in the coming years.”
By entering this program, Avow joins a number of providers nationwide who are working to advance clinical training opportunities.
The NCH program is overseen by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The training includes specific rotations to prepare fellows for board certification in hospice and palliative medicine.
Naples, Florida-based NCH is a not-for-profit, multi-facility health care system and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The system includes two hospitals with a total of 713 beds and dozens of other medical facilities throughout southwest Florida.
“NCH continually strives to help those we serve live longer, happier, healthier lives, as well as bring better quality to those lives,” Dr. Mark Rasnake, program director for the NCH Internal Medicine Residency Program, indicated in a press release. “Working with Avow to better train more of our area’s physicians on palliative care, will do just that.”
