About NSCPM
This course is a joint venture between the Associations for Palliative Medicine in the five Nordic countries for a theoretical specialist training course consisting of 6 week-long modules in the course of 2 years.
The course is developed for physicians who have been trained as specialists in relevant clinical specialties and need expertise in palliative medicine at a specialist level.
The aim of the course is to equip doctors to carry the responsibility of a consultant working full time in a specialist palliative care setting, with responsibility for a substantial number of patients with late stage disease.
Background
The Nordic Specialist Course in Palliative Medicine was established in 2003 to educate doctors in the Nordic countries in palliative medicine at a specialist level. At that time an increasing number of palliative care services were being established in the Nordic countries, without any acknowledged training program for physicians. All countries were facing the situation that new palliative care teams and units might be established without the appropriate medical staffing. This situation presented an urgent need to establish a theoretical specialist training course in palliative medicine.
Palliative medicine has been approved as a formal competence field in Finland (2007), Norway (2011) and Denmark (2013). Sweden (2015) and Iceland (2017) both have palliative medicine as an add-on-speciality; Norway will soon follow. Still, only a limited number of physicians have completed a palliative medicine training program. There is a great demand for more doctors with specialist expertise in this field of medicine, and the Steering Committee has decided to continue the Nordic course.
Course preparation and management
The course was prepared by a Nordic Task Force Group with representatives from the Associations for Palliative Medicine in the five Nordic countries.
The first course was run from September 2003 to May 2005. Eight more courses have been arranged, and course number 10 will start autumn 2021.
The five national Associations for Palliative Medicine in the Nordic countries have a common responsibility for the course. The course is run by a Steering Committee with members appointed by these five associations.
At the 14th World Congress of the EAPC in Copenhagen, May 2015, the preliminary results from the NSCPM so far were presented in a poster presentation. You can download the poster here.
Course secretariat
Nordic Specialist Course in Palliative Medicine
Course Coordinator Helena Kraft
Stockholms Sjukhem/R&D-unit
Box 12230, SE-102 26 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address: Mariebergsgatan 22
Phone: +46-8-12289602
E-mail: helena.kraft@stockholmssjukhem.se
Accounts
Lægeforeningen
Secretary Gitte Bramstorp
Economy Department
Kristianiagade 12
DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark
Phone: +45 35 44 81 35
E-mail: gib@dadl.dk