Medical students emphasize that the Education in palliative care financial aid will help them to be better trained, regardless of the specialization program they choose later on, as it addresses end-of-life issues and the knowledge of end-of-life care is essential for all doctors. This is revealed by a research of the ATLANTES program program of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) program of the University of Navarra, published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. According to Almetric, this is the second article of this publication with the highest online impact.

The goal of the study was to explore the reactions of medical students to a palliative care elective course by having them reflect in writing on this . School of Medicine to an elective course on palliative care by having them reflect in writing on this discipline. A total of 316 students participated over four years.

With a 90% response rate, five major themes were identified: the course financial aid students to become doctors and act like doctors; the benefits of having a holistic view of the patient and their family; palliative care opens up a new field of knowledge; the course allows students to think and reflect on their development staff and deepen the humanistic aspects of their professional internship ; and internship is fundamental in learning palliative care. 

The humanistic character of the discipline

The article also states that, in their comments on the course, the students emphasized that this is fundamental learning in medicine and used positive expressions when writing about their experiences with palliative care. In that sense, they stated that they would recommend other future physicians to be trained in this course discipline. They also highlighted its marked humanistic character, which financial aid to understand "the true purpose of a physician, which is to remain at the patient's side".

"The Education in palliative care -points out the work- has become a priority in many European countries. However, there is a lack of information on students' experiences, which could help universities to adapt their programs to demographic and social needs."

The authors of 'Does Palliative Care Education Matter to Medical Students? The Experience of Attending an Undergraduate Course in Palliative Care' are Carlos Centeno, researcher principal of the ATLANTES Program, professor of the School of Medicine and specialist of Palliative Care in the Clínica Universidad de Navarra Montse Ballesteros, professor at the School of Nursing of the University of Valladolid (campus de Soria); sociologist José Miguel Carrasco, researcher of ATLANTES; and María Arantzamendi, ATLANTES researcher and director of the Master's Degree in Palliative Care Nursing of the School Nursing.