University of Maryland Palliative Care PhD Program Answering ‘Imperative’ Staffing Need

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has launched an online educational program for students to receive a doctor of philosophy degree in palliative care. The program aims to develop researchers in palliative care while simultaneously honing skills in leadership, education and engagement in the profession.

The PhD in Palliative Care Program is designed for administrators, nurses, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers and researchers, among other interdisciplinary professionals. The program requires 36 academic credits for university students seeking their master’s or graduate degrees in a relevant field who have experience in palliative care.

“There is a growing number of people suffering from chronic, progressive, and ultimately fatal disease. Their need for excellent palliative care is imperative,” Mary Lynn McPherson, the program’s executive director, told university news. “To educate and empower a growing palliative care workforce, individuals with the skills to provide excellent instructional design, comprehensive curricula, and vibrant research are critically needed.”

McPherson is also a professor and director of advanced post-graduate education in palliative care at the university’s department of pharmacy practice and science.

The PhD program focuses on the tertiary care level of providers who are in academia, perform research or are employed with foundations or large academic medical centers.The university in 2017 began offering online palliative care education programs, enabling students to achieve a graduate certificate and master of science in palliative care.

The program comes at a time when workforce shortages are hitting the health care sector hard, with hospice and palliative care feeling the brunt as well. The United States has 13.35 hospice and palliative care specialists for every 100,000 adults 65 and older, according to an April 2018 study. Hospice providers during 2021 have reported rising turnover across all clinical disciplines and have struggled to maintain sufficient staff to meet demand.

By 2034, a “massive shortage” of primary and specialty care physicians is anticipated in the United States, according to a recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) that health care technology company IllumiCare shared with Hospice News.

The AAMC projected a shortage between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians, indicating specialty care providers as the largest gaps to fill nationwide. AAMC projected last year the shortage would range from 46,900 to 121,900 physicians by 2032, citing COVID-19 as having both “short- and long-term impacts on the physician workforce.”

Though workforce shortages plagued the hospice industry long before the pandemic, impacts from COVID-19 have only deepened staffing issues. A bit more than 20% of health care workers have contemplated leaving the field due to stress brought on by the pandemic, while 30% have considered reducing their hours, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

“Since the pandemic, physician shortages have increased exponentially,” an IllumiCare representative told Hospice News. “One of the biggest factors affecting physician shortages is the rise of clinician burnout, which intensified by the pandemic.”