Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France
Background Palliative care (PC) is recognized as a universal right, aimed at improving the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening conditions. Training healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, is crucial for high-quality PC. Currently, France lacks a Palliat...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2520380 |
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| author | François Chaumier Denis Angoulvant Emmanuel Gyan Laurent Calvel |
| author_facet | François Chaumier Denis Angoulvant Emmanuel Gyan Laurent Calvel |
| author_sort | François Chaumier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Palliative care (PC) is recognized as a universal right, aimed at improving the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening conditions. Training healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, is crucial for high-quality PC. Currently, France lacks a Palliative Medicine residency or fellowship (PMR-F), offering only a Palliative Care tracks (PCT) for voluntary postgraduate students. The aim of this study was to describe motivations and career plans of students enrolled in the PCT and to identify the proportion of those who would have preferred a PMR-F if it had been available.Methods A national online survey was conducted between April and August 2024 among 128 students enrolled in PCT. A 12-item questionnaire, using a 10-point Likert scale, was designed and pilot-tested by PC educators and former students. The questionnaire was sent to identify their motivations and career plans.Results The response rate was 76% (97/128). For 76% (74/97) of students, the purpose was to acquire skills complementary to their original specialty. While 48% (47/97) also aimed to gain skills for future specialist PC practice, only 10% (10/97) enrolled due to the lack of a specialized certificate. Career plans varied, with 30% intending to practice in their original discipline and 31% in PC facilities. Finally, 23% of students aiming to work in specialized PC facilities planned to continue their training with a continuing medical education program in PM (7/30).Discussion The findings align with the official objectives of a track, emphasizing complementary skills acquisition. Our study reveals the coexistence of a variety of professional goals and projects within the same class of residents, which does not seem relevant for the same training program. It highlights the opportunity for setting up, in addition to PCT, a specialized PM curriculum in France, to better address specialized training needs for future PM experts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a4a03c474cfd4d46a09cd9fcfb08c373 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj-art-a4a03c474cfd4d46a09cd9fcfb08c3732025-08-20T03:30:44ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812025-12-0130110.1080/10872981.2025.2520380Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in FranceFrançois Chaumier0Denis Angoulvant1Emmanuel Gyan2Laurent Calvel3Palliative Care Team, University Hospital of Tours, INSERM U1246 SPHERE, University of Tours, Tours, FranceCardiology, University Hospital of Tours, INSERM U1327 ISCHEMIA, University of Tours, Tours, FranceHematology and Cell Therapy, University Hospital of Tours, INSERM U1069 N2COX, University of Tours, Tours, FrancePalliative and Supportive Care Team, University Hospital of Strasbourg, CNRS UPR 3212, ITI NeuroStra, Strasbourg Translational Medicine Federation, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, FranceBackground Palliative care (PC) is recognized as a universal right, aimed at improving the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening conditions. Training healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, is crucial for high-quality PC. Currently, France lacks a Palliative Medicine residency or fellowship (PMR-F), offering only a Palliative Care tracks (PCT) for voluntary postgraduate students. The aim of this study was to describe motivations and career plans of students enrolled in the PCT and to identify the proportion of those who would have preferred a PMR-F if it had been available.Methods A national online survey was conducted between April and August 2024 among 128 students enrolled in PCT. A 12-item questionnaire, using a 10-point Likert scale, was designed and pilot-tested by PC educators and former students. The questionnaire was sent to identify their motivations and career plans.Results The response rate was 76% (97/128). For 76% (74/97) of students, the purpose was to acquire skills complementary to their original specialty. While 48% (47/97) also aimed to gain skills for future specialist PC practice, only 10% (10/97) enrolled due to the lack of a specialized certificate. Career plans varied, with 30% intending to practice in their original discipline and 31% in PC facilities. Finally, 23% of students aiming to work in specialized PC facilities planned to continue their training with a continuing medical education program in PM (7/30).Discussion The findings align with the official objectives of a track, emphasizing complementary skills acquisition. Our study reveals the coexistence of a variety of professional goals and projects within the same class of residents, which does not seem relevant for the same training program. It highlights the opportunity for setting up, in addition to PCT, a specialized PM curriculum in France, to better address specialized training needs for future PM experts.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2520380Palliative carespecialized palliative carepalliative medicinemedical residents trainingspecialized certificatespecialized curriculum |
| spellingShingle | François Chaumier Denis Angoulvant Emmanuel Gyan Laurent Calvel Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France Medical Education Online Palliative care specialized palliative care palliative medicine medical residents training specialized certificate specialized curriculum |
| title | Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France |
| title_full | Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France |
| title_fullStr | Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France |
| title_short | Heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track: results of a national online survey in France |
| title_sort | heterogeneity of professional goals among residents enrolled in a palliative care track results of a national online survey in france |
| topic | Palliative care specialized palliative care palliative medicine medical residents training specialized certificate specialized curriculum |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2520380 |
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