Have you ever successfully leapfrogged the obstacles involved with getting your palliative care program off the ground, and suddenly found yourself with an increased need for your services? While being in demand is a good problem to have, it comes with its own set of hurdles. Questions arise, like “what is the most efficient way to meet the need with our current staff?”, and "what are the best coping mechanisms when our team’s specialists are feeling overwhelmed?”

To get some answers, we asked palliative care specialists from around the country who have dealt with similar issues to give us tips on managing programmatic growth. Here are five answers out of the many answers we received. You can watch the rest of the responses in our Managing Growth playlist on CAPC's YouTube Channel.

Now, Let’s Get Some Tips

Educate Others in Palliative Care Skills

In this video, Cory Ingram, MD, MS, FAAHPM, Practice Chair of Community Palliative Medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses how educating referring physicians as well as the public can lead to sustained growth for palliative care teams.

Don’t Work in a Silo

Sherika Newman, DO is the Medical Director of Palliative Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In this video, she discusses how she learned that palliative care is best delivered with an interdisciplinary team.

Avoid Burnout

Dr. Sarah Friebert is the Director of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center. Here she offers advice on avoiding staff burnout during periods of growth or transition.

Promote Team Wellness

Palliative Care Specialist, Amber Burger, MD, of Elkhart General Hospital in Elkhart, IN, offers advice for how palliative care teams can best handle times of increased patient need.

Put the Patient First

Dr. Timothy Ihrig, Medical Director of Palliative Care at the Trinity Regional Medical Center, offers advice on keeping perspective when facing challenges.

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