All Things Death and Dying: Health Professional Students Participating in the Death Cafe Model

Death and dying remains a taboo topic in many social settings, and is underrepresented in health profession training. This report describes the use of the Death Cafe model as a forum for engaging students in discussion of death and dying with their peers and other health professionals. A Death Cafe is an opportunity for individuals to gather in an informal environment to exchange thoughts about issues associated with death, dying, loss, and illness. This report outlines the preparation, implementation, and evaluation of a Death Cafe event hosted at a nursing school as part of an academic health center. Twenty-four participants from five disciplines participated in discussions, reported positive experiences, and desired to learn more about issues surrounding death and dying. Findings from this event suggest that this approach may be useful for institutions seeking to provide additional learning opportunities for students and/or healthcare professionals on palliative and end-of-life care in a supportive and enabling context.