Hospice of Cincinnati

Colleen Marty, Summer 2010

Hospice of Cincinnati is the only not for profit Hospice located in Greater Cincinnati. Being the 4th oldest Hospice in the nation, Hospice of Cincinnati provides state-of-the-art palliative and end-of-life services for every patient, no matter their financial situation. With a focus on patient dignity and service excellence, HOC provides care in a variety of settings throughout the Cincinnati area including Western Hills, Eastgate, and Blue Ash.

As an Urban Health Project Intern you will have the ability to work with physicians, skilled nurses, home health aids, social workers, and chaplains. Most days begin at 8:00 AM and last until about 4:30. Since Hospice care is mostly done at the patient’s convenience, the UHP intern may visit a different part of the Cincinnati on any given day; this may include visit at homes, skilled nursing facilities, or one of the four Hospice in-patient units. One day each week you will shadow with nurses as they evaluate their patients. The student may also travel with social workers and chaplains to better understand the family and social dynamic that parallels the dying process. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be saved for the in-patient units where the intern will round with the physician medical directors and shadow the nursing staff. He/she will then participate in interdisciplinary group; a weekly meeting where the hospice team discusses patient dynamics and issues related to overall patient comfort. On Fridays, the intern will have the opportunity to work on a personal project in which he/she will be able to leave a lasting legacy at Hospice of Cincinnati.

Since this was the first year an UHP site and Hospice of Cincinnati, I did not have any specific projects that I worked on. I used this summer, working alongside the medical education department, to come up with an agenda for the future. I was able to meet and interact with every job title at HOC; from the medical directors to marketing managers. By doing this, I traveled all over Cincinnati and met all types of patients that reside in the tri-state area.

Hospice of Cincinnati is not for everyone. As an outgoing first year medical student much of what you will see at this site may be difficult to handle. The staff is very friendly and willing to talk to you about any issues or concerns that you may have over the summer. If you can make the adjustment, as I did, you will learn a great deal about death, dying, grieving, and loss; a subject that is often not dealt with correctly in medical school. My summer as the UHP intern at Hospice of Cincinnati allowed me to be comfortable with speaking to patients about the dying process. This skill will be invaluable to me as a future health care provider, and I truly appreciate the opportunity that I had at Hospice of Cincinnati to hone this ability. The medical staff is eager to teach and share their insights about the Hospice philosophy and care. They are an invaluable resource that aided me in better understanding the patient/doctor relationship. This summer, I grew as a medical student and an individual, gaining an appreciation for palliative and end-of-life care while learning from a tremendously talented and enjoyable Hospice staff.