Learning medicine through the patient’s journey: Pikes Peak Hospice helps train the next generation
For medical students, some of the most valuable lessons in medicine happen outside the classroom.
Dr. Melanie Stickrath, Medical Director at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, is helping provide those lessons through her role as a preceptor for the CU School of Medicine Colorado Springs Branch’s Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship.
The program is designed to give medical students a longitudinal clinical experience as part of their main clinical year of medical school. Rather than moving from one short-term rotation to another, students have the opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with patients and physicians and follow patients over time.
This year, Dr. Stickrath served as a preceptor for medical student Elena De Schutter (pictured). Beginning in December, Elena spent a half day with Dr. Stickrath every other week, participating in palliative care clinic and visiting hospice patients. She completed the experience in early August, giving her approximately eight months of exposure to hospice and palliative medicine.
One of the unique elements of the program is the opportunity for students to follow patients longitudinally. If a student meets a patient during an initial consultation, they may continue following that patient as part of their panel, allowing them to see how a person’s healthcare journey unfolds over time.
Elena shared: “The community at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care was incredibly welcoming. They always made me feel like a part of the team. Everyone was very generous with their time, giving me innumerable opportunities to learn from their expertise. Hearing from the patients, their families, and being able to be a part of their care was a true privilege and humbling experience. My rotation here has taught me about the importance of honoring patient values and thinking about the effects of medical care far beyond a clinical setting.”
For Dr. Stickrath, the experience is an opportunity to show students the important role hospice and palliative care play in medicine and to help them understand care from the patient’s perspective.
Her teaching extends beyond her individual work with students. Dr. Stickrath also participates in educational sessions for the broader group of CU School of Medicine students in Colorado Springs. Topics have included dementia care, advance directives, end-of-life care and pain management, among other areas relevant to the practice of medicine.
Dr. Stickrath’s dedication to medical education has earned recognition from the CU School of Medicine Colorado Springs Branch. In 2025, she was named its Internal Medicine/Specialty Teacher of the Year.
At Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, we are proud that Dr. Stickrath is sharing her clinical expertise and experience with future physicians. Hospice and palliative care offer a unique perspective on what it means to care for the whole person, and opportunities like this can help future physicians carry that perspective into every area of medicine.
By learning alongside hospice and palliative care professionals, medical students gain more than clinical knowledge. They learn the importance of listening to patients, understanding their goals and values, managing symptoms and supporting patients and families through some of life’s most important moments.
That is an important lesson for every physician, and one that can make a difference throughout a patient’s healthcare journey.
Go Back Dr. Melanie Stickrath, Medical Director at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, is helping provide those lessons through her role as a preceptor for the CU School of Medicine Colorado Springs Branch’s Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship.
The program is designed to give medical students a longitudinal clinical experience as part of their main clinical year of medical school. Rather than moving from one short-term rotation to another, students have the opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with patients and physicians and follow patients over time.
This year, Dr. Stickrath served as a preceptor for medical student Elena De Schutter (pictured). Beginning in December, Elena spent a half day with Dr. Stickrath every other week, participating in palliative care clinic and visiting hospice patients. She completed the experience in early August, giving her approximately eight months of exposure to hospice and palliative medicine.
One of the unique elements of the program is the opportunity for students to follow patients longitudinally. If a student meets a patient during an initial consultation, they may continue following that patient as part of their panel, allowing them to see how a person’s healthcare journey unfolds over time.
Elena shared: “The community at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care was incredibly welcoming. They always made me feel like a part of the team. Everyone was very generous with their time, giving me innumerable opportunities to learn from their expertise. Hearing from the patients, their families, and being able to be a part of their care was a true privilege and humbling experience. My rotation here has taught me about the importance of honoring patient values and thinking about the effects of medical care far beyond a clinical setting.”
For Dr. Stickrath, the experience is an opportunity to show students the important role hospice and palliative care play in medicine and to help them understand care from the patient’s perspective.
Her teaching extends beyond her individual work with students. Dr. Stickrath also participates in educational sessions for the broader group of CU School of Medicine students in Colorado Springs. Topics have included dementia care, advance directives, end-of-life care and pain management, among other areas relevant to the practice of medicine.
Dr. Stickrath’s dedication to medical education has earned recognition from the CU School of Medicine Colorado Springs Branch. In 2025, she was named its Internal Medicine/Specialty Teacher of the Year.
At Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, we are proud that Dr. Stickrath is sharing her clinical expertise and experience with future physicians. Hospice and palliative care offer a unique perspective on what it means to care for the whole person, and opportunities like this can help future physicians carry that perspective into every area of medicine.
By learning alongside hospice and palliative care professionals, medical students gain more than clinical knowledge. They learn the importance of listening to patients, understanding their goals and values, managing symptoms and supporting patients and families through some of life’s most important moments.
That is an important lesson for every physician, and one that can make a difference throughout a patient’s healthcare journey.