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The Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Oncology Palliative Education (iCOPE) is the result of a grant to the University of Louisville to design, implement and evaluate an innovative, integrated, and interprofessional oncology palliative care curriculum for medical, nursing, social work and chaplaincy students. The project was funded by the National Cancer Institute R-25 mechanism in 2010 for 5 years and is ongoing mandatory curriculum for all medical students, nursing students, social work students in health care and chaplaincy residents at the University.

The curriculum 

• is centrally-driven, integrated, flexible, multi-modal, and portable; driven by best clinical practices, evidence-based guidelines, and tested palliative care and oncology curricula;
• demonstrates palliative care’s core principles by integrating the technical, scientific, and humanistic qualities into holistic care of the cancer patient;
• includes learning experiences that promote collaborative learning and teamwork and broaden interdisciplinary awareness

The curriculum consists of 3 components

• Case-based online didactics -Four online modules designed to teach learners the core concepts of palliative care have been developed. Topics covered include: roles of the interprofessional team members, palliative care structure and processes, pain and symptom management, communication, grief and loss, spiritual dimensions of care, social and cultural care, and ethics. 
• Interprofessional Case Management Experience (ICME) - Learners from all four disciplines meet together to consider a case, develop an interdisciplinary care plan, share documentation, and resolve a simulated case scenario. Three cases are available and presented as video vignettes, including facilitator guides.
• Clinical Rotation and Reflective Writing / Small Group - Learners have a clinical experience in an interdisciplinary palliative care setting and write a reflective paper on their observations. These reflective writings are shared in small, faculty-facilitated groups.

Online modules, video clips, facilitator’s guides, handouts and assignments are available for use by educators and can be accessed at icopeproject.org