Care of the patient with advanced cancer: a course for clinical medical students at Oxford.

The objectives and content of a five-day course for final-year medical students at a palliative care unit in Oxford are described. The principal tutors comprise a physician, a psychiatrist, and a senior nurse. A philosopher, two chaplains, a bereavement officer, and a family practitioner also take part. Topics include pain and symptom management, psychosocial care, teamwork, and ethics. The sessions vary in structure from didactic lecture to group work. In addition to the acquisition of new knowledge, the course gives the students an opportunity to examine their own feelings in relation to cancer and the care of the dying. Although this is stressful, the course is highly regarded.