Program Overview
The TTUHSC Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship's mission is to enrich the lives of others by educating physicians to provide excellent end of live care and chronic illness management in order to improve quality of life of patients and their families. We also strive to provide excellent palliative based patient care, and advance knowledge among physicians and the West Texas community regarding palliative care.
Curriculum & Coursework
-
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is a 12-month program that provides comprehensive, longitudinal training across inpatient, hospice, ambulatory, long-term care, pediatric, scholarly, and elective settings. Fellows develop clinical expertise in symptom management, serious-illness communication, interdisciplinary care, hospice care, and care across transitions and settings.
Rotation Duration Primary Training Site(s) Inpatient Palliative Care/Supportive Care Unit 6 months University Medical Center Supportive Care Unit Research and Scholarly Activity 1 month Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Pediatric Home Hospice Care 0.5 month Hospice of Lubbock Long-Term Care 1 month Carillon Retirement Community Home Hospice Care 1 month Hospice of Lubbock, Hospice of the South Plains, or UMC Hospice Electives 2 months Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, University Medical Center or other -
Inpatient Palliative Care
Fellows complete multiple inpatient palliative care rotations at dedicated palliative units and consultation services at:- University Medical Center Supportive Care Unit
- Covenant Medical Center Inpatient Palliative Unit
University Medical Center (UMC) Health System
University Medical Center is Lubbock’s public, academic medical center and the primary teaching hospital for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. It provides advanced specialty, emergency, trauma, and inpatient care for patients throughout West Texas and eastern New Mexico. It is the region’s only Level One Trauma Center.Covenant Medical Center
Covenant Medical Center is a major regional hospital in Lubbock and part of Providence Health System, a national not-for-profit Catholic health system. It offers a broad range of acute and specialty services, including emergency care, surgical services, cancer care, and inpatient palliative care, serving patients across the South Plains region and eastern New Mexico.Hospice and Home-Based Palliative Care
A longitudinal Home Hospice Care experience totals 200 hours over the fellowship year. Fellows spend one half-day per week, plus an additional dedicated month, at an assigned hospice program—Hospice of Lubbock, which is affiliated with Compassus Hospice; UMC Hospice, which is affiliated with Amedisys; or Hospice of the South Plains which is affiliated with Pennant Medical Group. Fellows follow patients across care settings and participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, fostering continuity of care and an understanding of the full hospice experience.Fellows also complete a dedicated pediatric hospice experience at Hospice of Lubbock, caring for children with serious chronic illness and their families.
Ambulatory Palliative Care
Fellows participate in longitudinal ambulatory palliative care at University Medical Center’s TLC2 Cancer Center. Along with board certified and board eligible palliative physicians, fellows will provide care in an outpatient palliative clinic, providing coordinated treatment focused on symptom management, quality of life and individualized goals of care.Long-Term Care
The long-term care rotation is completed at Carillon Retirement Community under the supervision of board-certified geriatricians. This experience emphasizes palliative care for medically complex older adults, goals-of-care discussions, and collaboration with long-term care teams. -
Dedicated research rotations at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center allow fellows to pursue scholarly projects with faculty mentorship. Fellows receive guidance from faculty across the institution, including expertise in medical education and research development. Fellows have an opportunity to present scholarly activity at the Texas New Mexico Hospice and Palliative Organization or the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
-
Elective time allows fellows to individualize their training according to career goals and areas of interest. Available opportunities may include:
- Medical or radiation oncology
- Family medicine
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Perinatal medicine
- Geriatric medicine
- Interventional pain management
- Pediatrics
- Pediatric chronic illness management
- Surgery and wound care
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Clinical ethics
- Burn care
- Inpatient hospitalist services
- Cardiology
- Nephrology
-
Protected didactic sessions occur each Wednesday morning at University Medical Center. Curriculum is based on content from the AAHPM Board Review Courses, and ABIM Blueprint for the Hospice and Palliative Board Exam. Quarterly journal clubs are held at Covenant Medical Center and support critical appraisal of the palliative care literature and application of evidence-based practice.
-
- University Medical Center
- Covenant Medical Center
- Hospice of Lubbock
- Hospice of the South Plains
How to Apply
Online Application
The program receives applications solely through the Electronic Application Service (ERAS) provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Admissions Requirements
View our SOM House Staff Policies and Procedures, SOM Administrative Policies, as well as a sample contract.
We require the following:
- C.V. (curriculum vitae)
- Personal Statements
- Three letters of reference
- Dean's Letter
- Medical School Transcript
- USMLE/COMLEX scores: No minimum score criteria, but we require all applicants to pass each exam within the first two attempts, except the Clinical Skills(CS) portion of Step 2, which must be passed on the first attempt.
- Graduate of an Accredited Program: Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Physical Medicine and Rehab, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology and Surgery
All of these can be transmitted through ERAS. Your medical school must be on the list of schools whose graduates have demonstrated substantial equivalence of their education approved by the Texas Medical Board. Additionally, it is required that all applicants meet the Texas Medical Board licensing requirements prior to acceptance. Our university sponsors J-1 visas only.
Once we receive your completed ERAS application, we will contact you to set an interview date. Our deadline for application is November 1. Exceptions may apply.
If you are an international medical graduate (IMG), contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for application materials and requirements. All IMG's must be ECFMG certified.
Salaries
| Salaries for 2026-2027 (These amounts are for the Lubbock Campus only) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGY-1 | PGY-2 | PGY-3 | PGY-4 | PGY-5 | PGY-6 | PGY-7 | PGY-8 |
| $67,474 | $68,999 | $71,178 | $74,419 | $76,628 | $78,840 | $81,052 | $83,483 |
| Previous Years' Salaries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | PGY-1 | PGY-2 | PGY-3 | PGY-4 | PGY-5 | PGY-6 | PGY-7 |
| 2025-2026 | $65,764.23 | $67,250.96 | $69,374.62 | $72,532.92 | $74,685.79 | $76,841.81 | $78,997.84 |
| 2024-2025 | $63,725.03 | $65,165.66 | $67,223.47 | $70,283.84 | $72,369.95 | $74,459.12 | $76,548.30 |
| 2023-2024 | $61,570.07 | $62,961.99 | $64,950.21 | $66,936.99 | $68,923.76 | $70,913.45 | $72,903.14 |
| 2022-2023 | $58,918.73 | $60,250.71 | $62,153.31 | $64,054.53 | $65,955.76 | $67,859.76 | $69,763.77 |
| 2021-2022 | $57,202.65 | $58,495.83 | $60,343.02 | $62,188.87 | $64,034.71 | $65,883.26 | $67,731.82 |
| 2020-2021 | $55,536.56 | $56,792.07 | $58,585.46 | $60,377.54 | $62,169.63 | $63,964.33 | $65,759.05 |
Benefits
Malpractice Insurance
Aggregates are $100,000 per incident and $300,000 annual aggregate. Professional Liability Division website or call (806) 743-9921
Health Insurance
Group Health/Dental/Vision insurance for residents and eligible dependents.
Workers' Compensation
Workers' Compensation website
Leave Policies
Paid leave shall be approved for not more than four work weeks for PGY-1 level, and not more than five work weeks for the PGY-2 level and above, subject to each respective residency program requirements and policies.
Leave types include:
- Vacation
- Sick Leave
- Family and Parental Leaves of Absence
- Educational Leave
- Jury Duty
- Military Leave not to exceed 15 working days per year
Retirement & Savings
Residents and fellows are not eligible for TTU System's 401K plan but can participate in the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) or the Tax-Deferred Account Program (TDA). More information will be provided upon starting your program.
For GME Salary and Benefits questions, please contact:
Lubbock Graduate Medical Education
Phone: (806) 743-2978
Fax: (806) 743-1599
Email: LubbockGME@ttuhsc.edu
*Each program sets their own vacation and sick guidelines, not to exceed the maximum.
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Lubbock Specific Benefits
- Name-embroidered lab coat
- 20 days of paid vacation
- $1,250 moving stipend if applicable, upon entrance to the Fellowship
- Five days and $1,000 for approved CME courses
- ACLS re-certification tuition provided
- American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Annual membership
- Meal card for use in the hospital cafeteria
- Parking spaces provided for fellows in UMC hospital parking lot
Contact Us
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Lubbock
We're here to help. Contact us if you have questions.
-
Address
3601 4th Street
Lubbock, TX 79430
United States
- Phone (806) 743-1083
- Email Mauren.M.Lopez@ttuhsc.edu
-
Hours
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday to Friday