Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center
The Veterans Health Administration operates one of the nation’s largest health care systems and offers training for medical, nursing, and allied health professionals across the United States. The mission of the VA includes a commitment to supporting hospice and palliative care teams at every VA Medical Center (VAMC). The Orlando VA Healthcare System cares for the second largest number of Veterans among the VA Medical Centers, serving over 140,000 Veterans in Central Florida.
A significant portion of our program involves immersion at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City. The Orlando VA Medical Center provides acute care, outpatient specialty care, inpatient mental health, and long-term care. During their time at the VA, our fellows develop a high level of competence providing care for adults facing complex, advancing and potentially life-threatening medical conditions. This training includes a diverse array of healthcare settings:
- Palliative Care Consult Team (including acute care inpatients, ambulatory care, and outpatient specialty clinics)
- Long-Term Care (caring for Veterans residing in a nursing and rehabilitation facility)
- Hospice and Palliative Care Unit
- Continuity Outpatient Palliative Clinic
- Telemedicine
- Sub-Specialty Electives
Community Living Center
The Community Living Center (CLC) is located on the Orlando VA’s Lake Nona Campus. This state-of-the-art long-term care facility was intentionally designed to replicate a home-like environment. This 120-bed facility consists entirely of private rooms, and has units for short-stay rehabilitation, long-term-care, dementia care, spinal cord injury, and a 15-bed Hospice and Palliative Care Unit. In this transformative setting, our fellows take on the vital roles of palliative care consultants, extending their expertise to all units, and serving as primary physicians for our dedicated Hospice and Palliative Care Unit.
HCA Florida Osceola Hospital
HCA Florida Osceola Hospital is a large tertiary care teaching hospital in nearby Kissimmee, FL with 87,000 emergency visits and 18,000+ admissions a year. HCA Florida Osceola Hospital is designated as a Level II Trauma Center and provides care to a patient population with diverse ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic backgrounds and a robust pathology mixture.
Our fellows play a crucial role as members of the palliative medicine consult team. Fellows collaborate closely with the team to, prioritize patient and family centered goal setting, master advanced symptom management, and develop advanced communication skills.
VITAS Healthcare
VITAS Healthcare is the nation’s largest single-source provider of end-of-life care. Our fellows train in inpatient and home-based hospice care settings to provide end-of–life care for patients of all ages, including children.
The fellows experience a 2-week rotation with VITAS Healthcare’s local pediatric hospice team. The team is composed of a pediatrician, pediatric nurses, a social worker, a chaplain, and a child life specialist.
Our fellows gain competency providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary end-of-life care and gain the necessary skills to function in inpatient and home hospice settings.