Adult Medicine | trainees who commenced in 2017 onwards
The Advanced Training Program in Palliative Medicine allows adequate time for you to gain the necessary learning experiences across a range of relevant rotations during your 3-year total training period (36 months FTE).
Training terms
All training terms are under supervision. Trainees are recommended to have periods of on-call incorporated into their training.
Trainees who commenced in 2022 onwards
Full-time and part-time trainees can complete a maximum of 12 months FTE training at one setting for Terms 1, 2 and 3.
You must have different supervisors across different settings for these terms.
A setting is defined as one entry on the Palliative Medicine accredited settings (PDF)
Trainees who commenced before 2022
Training terms 1, 2 and 3 must be completed at 2 or more sites with different supervisors in different work settings.
Term 1 | Palliative care inpatient unit or hospice (6 months core)
In a designated palliative care unit or hospice, you receive training under supervision in the practice of palliative medicine within an interdisciplinary palliative medicine team in a specialist palliative care inpatient setting.
Term 2 | Community setting (6 months core)
Under supervision in community settings, you’ll gain experience in the provision of palliative medicine consultations in the domiciliary setting (outreach or homecare service) and ambulatory care clinics.
Term 3 | Teaching hospital consultation service (6 months core)
Your Term 3 training provides experience in the provision of palliative medicine consultation to other units within a teaching hospital.
Consultation services in district level (non-teaching) hospitals alone are generally unacceptable.
Term 4 | Cancer care setting (6 months core — other)
A cancer centre is defined as a site where you spend at least 75% of your clinical time providing care to oncology patients.
Training is performed in an oncology training position that’s approved for Advanced Training in medical oncology, clinical haematology or radiation oncology. Supernumerary positions are acceptable.
Alternatively, training can be performed in a palliative medicine consultation or liaison post in an RACP-accredited cancer centre.
Your PREP tools for Term 4 must have an oncology focus and cover at least 4 of the 7 areas of assessment and learning outcomes:
- Diagnosis and management of oncological emergencies
- Diagnosis, management and disease trajectories of common cancers
- Discussion of cancer progression and consequent treatment decisions
- Complications of cancer and its treatment
- The role of curative and adjuvant oncological treatment
- The role of palliative oncological treatment
- The role of the multi-disciplinary team in the management of patients with cancer
Term 5 | Hospital consultation/community/inpatient palliative medicine or related specialty (6 months non-core)
You can use Term 5 to gain further palliative medicine experience in an accredited palliative medicine position, or in a position approved for Advanced Training in a palliative medicine-relevant specialty.
Acceptable related specialties:
- Cardiology
- General medicine
- Geriatric medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Respiratory medicine
- Gastroenterology
- Pain medicine
- Psychiatry
- Intensive Care
Other terms can be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applications for Prospective Approval should be made to the Training Committee in Palliative Medicine (TCPM) at least 6 months prior to commencing the term.
Routine general practice training will not be considered for Term 5 but an extended skills placement in areas relevant to palliative medicine can be considered. The term cannot be completed in an oncology (medical or radiation) or haematology training position.
Your completed PREP tools for the term must be relevant to the specialty training you’ve undertaken.
Term 6 | Elective (6 months non-core)
During this term, you have the opportunity to choose an aspect of specialist medical practice or research that is of interest to you and relevant to the practice of palliative medicine.
Term 6 can be clinical or non-clinical training. You can elect to complete it in other related specialties, research/academic study or as additional palliative medicine training.
If you haven’t had adequate prior training or experience in an aspect of medical practice essential to specialist palliative medicine, you may be required to complete a training term(s) in a particular specialty during the training program.
Routine general practice training will not be considered for this term but an extended skills placement in areas related to palliative medicine can be considered.
Research or academic study
Research or academic study must be undertaken via a MD, PhD or Master’s degree. The successful completion of a Masters-level university degree or the equivalent of the first-year of an MD or PhD thesis would fulfil the criteria for Term 6.
It must be in a palliative medicine-related area, such as:
- palliative care or areas of study within the umbrella of palliative care, for example bereavement care
- palliative medicine, pain management or pain medicine
- oncology, relevant to palliative care
- clinical pharmacology, basic science aspects of palliative care or pain management
- psychological aspects of palliative care
- public health
- health policy
- health promotion
- health outcomes
- epidemiology with significant relevance to palliative care
If undertaking research or academic study, you're not required to nominate supervisors or complete the Term 6 teaching and learning and assessments. For the period to be certified, evidence of completion, such as a copy of your Master’s degree or a letter from your university confirming completion of the first-year of an MD or PhD thesis, is required.
The TCPM recommends that you have a mentor whilst undertaking research or academic study as part of your Term 6 training. A mentor can be a palliative medicine Fellow or academic professor who acts as a point of contact and provides guidance during this period.
Training time
You must complete Training Terms 1, 2 and 3 in Australia and/or Aotearoa New Zealand. This is to ensure that you receive adequate exposure to local practices and health services.
Training needs to be undertaken at accredited settings as assessed by the TCPM.
The College isn’t responsible for trainee selection and recruitment and plays no role in these processes.