Program Highlights

• Fellows as Teachers—Fellows will be trained to become teachers for medical students, residents and others. They will be actively involved in precepting our Palliative and Geriatric Curriculum which includes small groups classroom/virtual activities and Observed Skills Clinical Encounters (OSCEs).
• Fellow Annual OSCE—Fellows themselves participate as learners in an Observed Skills Clinical Encounter for formative experience to improve their communication skills.
• We offer a 2-week Introduction to Clinical Investigation Course. This course expands fellows’ knowledge and exposure to research and quality improvement strategies. Each fellow develops a project under the supervision of a mentor and submit an abstract for our National Scientific meetings (AAHPM/AGS).
• VA Interdisciplinary Fellows in Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Chaplaincy train alongside our Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician fellows.
• Large program with >30 interested and excited to teach Faculty members.
• No “in house” overnight call. All call is home call. This is great for work-life balance.
• Rotations are arranged in 2-week blocks. This allows for easy transitions and scheduling accommodations.
• Wellness and Self-Care are not only important to our fellowship but are integral parts of our daily activities, learning, and patient care.
• The University Health System palliative care program is nationally recognized as a Circle of Life Award recipient (2019). This award celebrates innovation in palliative and end of life care and is awarded to exemplary programs by the American Hospital Association.
• Excellent Educational Experiences:
  • Tuesday Interdisciplinary Team Meetings
    • Core inter-professional palliative care, self-care rounds, team building, and interdisciplinary case presentations
  • Thursday Educational Didactics
    • Core geriatric and palliative topics, clinical ethics series, and communication workshops focused on professional skills
• Specialty Tracks offered:
  Pediatrics track for pediatricians: Our fellows work with two board certified pediatric palliative specialists, they have increased emphasis on pediatric patient population/ rotations while still receiving the high volume and experiences from the adult rotations.
  Integrated Geriatric and Palliative Medicine: 2-year track which is an ABIM- sponsored pilot in which at the end of 2 years fellows graduating are eligible for certification in both Geriatric and Palliative Medicine. Benefits include 6 months of elective and research time

How to Apply:

Applicants must:

• Have completed an ACGME-accredited Residency Program in Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Neurology, Radiology, or Surgery prior to starting their Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship
• Be U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the U.S., or have a J-1 Visa
• Applications for the UT Health San Antonio Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program are submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

The following documentation is required with your ERAS application:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation—one must be from your residency program director
• United States Medical Licensing Examination transcript
• ECFMG certificate for graduates of international medical schools

ERAS applications are typically open for submission mid-July for a position starting on July 1st of the following year. Based on preliminary review of complete applications, interviews will be offered to selected applicants. Interview season typically runs from August to the beginning of November.

Our program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), and all our fellowship positions are offered through this mechanism. NRMP # 1722540F0

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