An Education and Behavioral, Single-center, Observational Cohort Study Evaluating the Effect of Emotion Regulation and Burnout on Medical Trainees' Learning and Documentation of Serious Illness Communication

Before Communication Training Activities Tier 1 (education-only subjects): Three to four weeks prior to the subject's two-week palliative care elective they will be sent an email to complete an online confidence survey. They will receive email reminders to complete the survey until survey is completed.

Tier 2 (education + psychological measurements of subjects): Subjects will have reviewed and signed consent documentation. In addition to the above online confidence survey, they will also receive email to complete electronic ERSQ and MBI.

Two week palliative care elective Tier 1 - Integrated into the two-week elective with the palliative care department, subjects undergo a 1) four-hour training focused on the SICG©; 2) two simulated patient encounters with trained actors and feedback provided after training, 3) participant sent electronic notification to take post intervention survey of confidence Tier 2 - In addition to above, these subjects will also complete a Priming intervention. They will receive a list of patients whom 1) the study subjected documented at least one note on in the past and 2) have a high likelihood of serious illness as determined by an electronic process. This list will be shared securely through Dartmouth secure file electronically, and participants will be asked four "yes or no" questions for each patient: 1) do they believe the patient has serious illness?; 2) would you be surprised if the patient died within the next year?, 3) Is this patient an appropriate patient to use the serious illness conversation guide? and 4) If you saw this patient again, would you use the serious illness conversation guide with him/ her? Subjects will be asked to review no more than 30 patients. Subjects will be asked to return the completed email via Dartmouth secure file share.

Electronic communication every two months following completion of elective Tier 1 - Every two months after completing the training, participants will receive email compare his or her own documentation of the taught template to top and average performers (comparison results given are anonymous). Non-top and top performers will receive different messages, customized through pre-testing with non-study residents and fellows. For example: "Talking to patients about their values is important but can take some pre-visit planning. Choose a patient you will see in the next two weeks to use the SICG" (non top-performers) or "Good job! Talking to patients about their values is important. The way we continue to improve is by having more conversations. Choose a patient you will see in the next two weeks to use the SICG." (top-performers). At four months, subjects will be asked electronically to complete their final confidence survey.

Tier 2 - For this part of the study, identical to Tier 1