Course I: Enhancing Organizational Engagement – First Friday Education and Professional Development

In hospice and palliative care settings, workforce strain, moral distress, and interdisciplinary fragmentation can undermine team cohesion and professional wellbeing. While continuing education is often designed to close knowledge gaps, it is less frequently structured to intentionally strengthen relational culture within care teams. 

This presentation examines First Friday, a recurring, interprofessional education and professional development initiative implemented within a community-based hospice and serious illness care organization. Designed as a predictable, psychologically safe learning ritual, First Friday integrates clinical education, facilitated dialogue, leadership development, narrative reflection, and equity-centered discussions across disciplines. 

This session positions education as a lever for culture-building and invites discussion about how structured, recurring learning spaces may contribute to workforce resilience and collaborative excellence in serious illness care. 

Watch the course and see handouts below.