Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Virtual Event, Newark, NJ

Using stories from her book, Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life, Dr. Zitter will take healthcare providers on an insider’s look at her experience navigating modern medical culture. This program will start with an honest exploration of the culture of the modern hospital and the impact of the culture on those who work within it, exploring how that in turn impacts patient care. Dr. Zitter will describe the cases described in her book, inviting discussion and reflection from participants. Then, through reflection and moderated discussion, participants will learn strategies to connect better with their patients, understand the experiences of themselves and their colleagues, and find a better path forward.

IIn our current medical culture, patients with serious and end-stage illness are subjected to a healthcare system that relies on protocols and does not encourage communication, information transfer, or solicitation of patient preferences. As a result, patients are often treated with unnecessarily aggressive and unwanted medical and surgical procedures, which frequently impair quality of care and safety. And even in circumstances where patients and families opt out of this default high-intensity medical treatment, they are often left with a lack of support and preparation for the realities they will be facing. Healthcare providers also suffer in this system, as they find themselves following protocols without really considering the preferences, needs, and values of the humans involved.

This activity aims to increase resilience among healthcare providers by raising awareness of the challenging culture in which they work and reflecting on their own psycho-emotional responses to it. Giving people an opportunity to see themselves from outside can bring to light some of the disconnects and conflicts they may not have time to notice in their overwhelming workdays. With this perspective, and the opportunity to reflect on new approaches, healthcare providers will become more aware of their role in the system, and understand how enhanced communication and planning can improve the outcomes of their patients and families, and themselves.

This narrative medicine workshop will explore not only how we can be better clinicians, but how we can have more compassion for ourselves as we do the challenging work of caring for seriously ill patients.

Activity Faculty
Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH, FCCP, FAAHPM
Dr. Jessica Zitter practices the unusual combination of Critical and Palliative Care medicine at Highland Hospital, the public hospital in Oakland, California. She uses storytelling to examine the over-medicalization of death in America. Her essays appear in her book, Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life, as well as the New York Times and other publications. Over the past 5 years, she has turned to filmmaking to draw audiences into this important conversation. Her films include the Oscar-nominated Extremis (Netflix) and Caregiver: A Love Story. She is at work on her third film, The Chaplain of Oakland, which examines the crisis of racial healthcare inequities at the end of life. In 2021, she founded a nonprofit organization, Reel Medicine Media, to maximize impact with her films through organizational partnerships, curriculum generation, and public speaking.

Dr. Zitter attended Stanford University and Case Western Reserve University Medical School and earned her Masters in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley. Her medical training includes an Internal Medicine residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care at the University of California, San Francisco. She also is co-founder of Vital Decisions, a telephone-based counseling service for patients with life-limiting illness.

Planning Committee
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Jolly Kuruvilla, DNP, APN, NP-BC MSN(ED), RN, CCRN, CEN
Kedisha Lloyd, MSN, APN, FNP-BC
Natasha Lopez, MSN, APN, AGNP-BC, CCRN, CSC, CMC
Angela McCabe, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Julya Rempel, MSN, GNP, ACHPN
Maria Roesler, MSN, RN, CHPN
Aleshia Selby, LSW, ACHP-SW
Ripka Sethi, MD
Rosemarie Vasquez, DNP, APN, AGNP-C, ACHPN
Mary Velardi-Stoffel, MSN, RN, HNB-BC

Reel Medicine Media
Gloria Houston

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Patrick Dwyer

1. Recognize the challenges in decision-making for patients with serious illness and end of life conditions in America
2. Describe the historical cultural context of over-medicalization of modern medicine
3. Integrate interpersonal and communication and practice strategies for patient and family engagement in order to establish meaningful physician-patient bonds
4. Apply self-care strategies to better manage emotional experience

Registration:  Complimentary

Pre-registration is required.
Registration for the symposium can only be accepted through our secure on-line website until April 16, 2023.

Confirmation
Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation. As the program date approaches, you will receive additional information to assist you with your plans to participate in this activity.

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians: Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses: This activity is awarded 2.75 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim those contact hours actually spent participating in the activity.

Social Workers: This program is approved for social work continuing education hours by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care in accordance with New Jersey administrative code 13:44G-6.4 and recognized by The New Jersey Board of Social Work Examiners. This program is approved for 2.75 clinical social work continuing education hours..

Method of Participation
In order to meet the learning objectives and receive continuing education credit, participants are excepted to formally register for the activity, watch the webinar and complete the online evaluation at the conclusion of the activity. A CE certificate will be emailed to participants upon completion of the online evaluation.

The relevant financial relationships of all individuals who affect the content of continuing education activities and any discussion of off-label/investigational uses will be disclosed to the audience at the time of the activity.

Course Material
In an effort to provide the most complete materials to attendees and conserve resources, PDF versions of the lecture slides will be made available online to registered attendees. Additional information will be provided in future confirmation communication.

For any other questions, concerns, or if you require special arrangements to attend this activity, please contact CCOE by email at ccoe@rbhs.rutgers.edu.

Rutgers and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center reserve the right to modify program content, faculty and program activities. It also reserves the right to cancel the activity if necessary.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (2.75 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (2.75 hours), ANCC Contact Hours (2.75 hours), Social Worker: NJBSWE CE Credits (2.75 hours)