title: Developing learning outcomes for medical students and foundation doctors in palliative care: a national consensus-seeking initiative in Scotland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Undergraduate education in palliative care is essential if doctors are to be competent to care for dying patients and their families in a range of specialties and healthcare settings. However, creating space for this within existing undergraduate and foundation year curricula poses significant challenges. We aimed to develop consensus learning outcomes for palliative care teaching in the university medical schools in Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The General Medical Council (GMC) outlines a number of learning outcomes with clear relevance to palliative care. Leaders from the five Scottish medical schools identified and agreed a small number of outcomes, which we judged most relevant to teaching palliative care and collated teaching resources to support these.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consensus learning outcomes for undergraduate palliative care were agreed by our mixed group of clinician educators over a number of months. There were many secondary gains from this process, including the pooling of educational resources and best practice, and the provision of peer support for those struggling to establish curriculum time for palliative care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The process and outcomes were presented to the Scottish Teaching Deans, with a view to their inclusion in undergraduate and foundation year curricula. It is through a strong commitment to achieving these learning outcomes that we will prepare all doctors for providing palliative care to the increasing numbers of patients and families that require it.
authors.affiliation: University of Aberdeen , UK .
authors.forename: Gordon T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Linklater
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: Lyndsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McFatter
authors.forename: Stephen M W
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hutchison
authors.forename: Pat J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Carragher
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walley
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000592:standards*; D032921:Consensus; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012606:Scotland; D013337:Students, Medical