National Fellowship in Palliative Medicine in India: Apply before 15 June

The IPM-CMAI National Fellowship in Palliative Medicine is one of the popular post-graduate training programs in palliative medicine for medical professionals in India since 2004. This one-year program offers distance mode of study with 30 days of contact program including theory classes and clinical placement. The maximum number of students admitted for the fellowship program in each year is 25.

The fellowship program, which is jointly designed by Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kozhikode, Kerala and Christian Medical Association of India aims to train doctors to increase their competence to deliver palliative care and also to instill in them new insights which may positively influence them to deliver person-centred care within a better doctor-patient relationship.

The program is designed to familiarise the candidates with:

philosophy, principles and different models of delivery of palliative care
relevance of palliative care in our socio-cultural scenario
communication with patients and their relatives
ethical and legal issues
symptom management
nursing issues in incurable and chronic illnesses; and
issues related to death.

Eligibility

Candidates who hold an MBBS/BDS degree recognised by the Medical Council of India or Dental Council of India and who have successfully completed one year internship are eligible to apply.

Important dates for 2015

15 June: last date for issue of application forms
15 June: last date for submission of completed application forms
30 June: declaration of selected candidates
1 August: course commencement with the first common contact session.

How to Apply

The application form and information brochure is available on submission of Demand Draft of Rs.100/- drawn in favour of ‘Christian Medical Association of India’ and payable at New Delhi to the following address:

Fellowship in Palliative Medicine; Christian Medical Association of India; A-3, Plot No.2, Local Shopping Center; Janakpuri; New Delhi; 110058.

The complete postal address of the candidate is also to be provided along with the Demand Draft.

Course Fee

Course Fee is INR 40,000 and is to be paid by 5 July 2015

Duration

Even though the duration of the program is one year, with 30 days of contact programs, students will have the option to complete it within a period of two years.

Methodology

The methodology includes:

theory classes during contact sessions
hands-on Clinical Training
assignments and course work modules.

Contact sessions

There will be a total of 30 days of contact program which is mandatory.

The program will start with an orientation training of one week duration at Institute of Palliative Medicine (usually held in the month of August every year).

Then the candidates have to complete 20 clinical working days at selected centres under the guidance of a faculty member.

Examinations will be held in the last three contact days at Institute of Palliative Medicine

Audit Report

The candidate is also required to submit a duly completed audit report on a topic relevant to palliative care.

Evaluation

A Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) system of evaluation is being done based on assignments, logbook and the audit report, performance during the clinical placement, and the final examination.

About IPM

The Institute of Palliative Medicine, a leading training institution for palliative care in Asia, is the Training and Research arm of the Pain and Palliative Care Society, Kozhikode.

The Institute has been running regular training programs for health care professionals and volunteers for more than a decade. The courses are regularly attended by professionals within the country and abroad. For details, visit www.instituteofpalliativemedicine.org

About CMAI

The Christian Medical Association of India is a network of medical institutions and health care professionals in the country which has made significant contributions to health and medical education.

CMAI has been involved in developing and spreading palliative care in India since the early nineties and now its focus is on training professionals in palliative care. Visit www.cmai.org for details.

For further information, please contact the course coordinators at IPM or CMAI: