The family meeting is an essential component of effective palliative care (PC); however, medical students and junior doctors-in-training often consider leading a family meeting to be a daunting task. The old "see one, do one, teach one" axiom should not apply in preparing trainees to conduct a family meeting. After a review of the literature on established PC curricula, trainee perceptions of their PC educational experiences, and documented educational interventions in preparing trainees to conduct a family meeting, we have compiled a list of 10 tips for clinical educators to consider in assisting their students to feel better equipped to conduct productive family meetings.
Keywords: clinician/patient communication; conducting family meetings; didactic teaching; educational design; implications for care; medical learner education.