Abstract: Objective Explore the impact of palliative care course on the life and death perspective and career planning for undergraduates majoring in clinical medicine and nursing. Methods 21 students who chose to take palliative care course at Hangzhou Normal University were selected as the research subjects, group interviews and personal in-depth interviews were conducted after teaching. The obtained data were organized and extracted using the Colaizzi seven step analysis method. Results Palliative care course promotes medical students to develop a postive life-and-death view, including triggering thoughts about death,increasing confidence in communicating death to others, accepting the act of preparing for death, and perceiving the value of life. Palliative care course broadens the breadth and depth of medical students′ career planning, including perceiving the multiple role functions of careers and thinking about future professional development. Conclusions Palliative care course can help medical students develop a positive outlook on life and death and deepen their career awareness, leading to a clearer direction for career planning.

Key words: Undergraduate, Clinical medicine, Nursing, Palliative care, View of life and death, Career planning, Qualitative research