The Palliative Medicine DOPS Simulation Course is a highly specialised training programme designed to enhance the confidence of palliative medicine trainees in managing key procedures within palliative care settings.
Palliative medicine trainees are required to manage patients with spinal lines, tracheostomies, indwelling pleural and peritoneal catheters, and non-invasive ventilation within a specialist palliative or community setting. While trainees are not expected to initiate these procedures independently, they must be able to recognise and respond to urgent complications.
This hybrid training day integrates high-fidelity simulation for formative learning in the morning and a summative DOPS (Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) assessment in the afternoon. The formative simulation sessions provide opportunities for reflection, learning, and exploration of human factors involved in complex clinical scenarios, rather than a straightforward skills-lab approach.
This course is open to palliative medicine trainees ST4 – 7 (new or old curriculum) and SAS doctors in palliative medicine settings – eg hospice or community posts.
Course information
Duration: One day (9am-4:30pm)
Dates:
- Thursday 15th May 2025
- Thursday 25th September 2025
- Thursday 29th January 2026
Cost: £300
Location: Montagu Clinical Simulation Centre
Montagu Hospital
Adwick Road
Mexborough
South Yorkshire
S64 0AZ
Course facilitator
Dr Lucy Adkinson- Consultant in Palliative Medicine
Course content
- Managing tracheostomies, non-invasive ventilation, indwelling pleural and peritoneal catheters, and spinal lines in palliative settings.
- Developing confidence in recognising and responding to complications related to these procedures.
- Opportunity for collaborative learning through high-fidelity simulation and group debriefing.
- Exploration of human factors that impact decision-making in complex clinical scenarios.
- Summative assessment through DOPS in the afternoon session.
Who the course is for
This course is designed for:
- Palliative Medicine Trainees (ST4-ST7, both new and old curriculum)
- SAS Doctors working in palliative medicine settings (hospice or community-based roles)
How to book onto the Course
If you would like to book onto the Palliative Medicine course please fill in this online form. If you would like more information about the course please do not hesitate to contact l.adkinson@nhs.net.
Comments from past attendees
“Really helpful day, stuff on traches, NIV and intrathecal all very useful, directly relevant and reassuring! Learned lots of new information, much of which is directly relevant to practice and will be helpful in tricky situations. A great day overall!”
“I truly think this course was invaluable to specialist training and I really think it should be open to all palliative care trainees and hospice doctors, I seriously hope it keeps being funded.”
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