The University of Melbourne has introduced elective courses in death education to better prepare students for the challenging realities of working in the medical field.
The curriculum addresses a range of topics related to death and dying, including diverse perspectives on end-of-life care, navigating medical decision-making at the end of life, and understanding cremation and burial processes. It also focus on the importance of cultural sensitivity and compassionate communication when supporting terminally ill patients and their families, highlights the need for self-care among clinicians, and explores the influence of cultural and religious beliefs on end-of-life practices.
The course features guest lectures from embalmers and funeral directors, site visits to crematoriums and morgues, and tutorials led by a multidisciplinary team, including palliative care nurses, spiritual care providers, and general practitioners. Second-year students also participate in simulations with paid actors portraying terminally ill patients to practice delivering difficult news.
The subjects titled ‘Death and Dying: Lifting the Lid’, and ‘Death and Dying 2: When is dead really dead?’ were launched in 2022 and 2023 as part of the redesigned Doctor of Medicine (MD) program. The topic is taught over two years, providing students with a comprehensive overview of Australia’s deathcare system. The first subject started out with 50 enrolments during the first year and this year there are 90 students enrolled across both subjects.
Subject co-designer Dr Hannah Gould said, “the concept of death is shrouded in taboo and the lack of education in this space is leading to clinicians being vastly underprepared when entering the workforce. The aim of this subject is to break down the societal stigma by bridging the gap between our healthcare and deathcare systems. Many medical students who enrol, start off feeling anxious about dealing with death and some have admitted they’re worried about the guilt that may arise from losing a patient. Our goal is to help students overcome their fear by changing their outlook and helping them accept the fact that death is a central part of the job.”
“The feedback has been extremely positive and we’ve found multiple students went from being afraid of death to wanting to pursue a career in palliative care after completing the subject,” Dr Gould said.
Kirsty Blades, PCNSW CEO, is delighted to see this type of course offered: “Medical students being prepared and trained to provide quality and person-centred end-of-life care to their patients is essential. Whatever medical career they pursue, these skills are so important. When put into practice, they will positively influence the experience of patients, families and carers, and the other medical professionals around them, and that is a great gift! Knowing that the course is generating interest in a palliative care career is also so pleasing to hear.”
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