Introduction: Palliative care teaching has little emphasis during the undergraduate period. Most
teachings in medical school are geared towards preventive and curative approach. Competency in
palliative care including therapeutic and effective communication has been the taught indirectly
without emphasis on other areas. We investigate medical students’ preparedness on palliative care
subjects using past studies questionnaire to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and understanding on end
of life issues. Method: Cross sectional study was performed on the final year medical students (class
2015) from a public university in the northern state of Peninsular Malaysia. Proforma was adopted
from the previously published studies covering the aspect of knowledge, attitude, end-of-life, advanced
directive and bioethical principles in palliative care. Conceptual framework of final year medical
students’ preparedness was ascertained following impartment of palliative care knowledge, either
directly or indirectly, after the exposure and completion of the clinical attachment. Results: The
study elicited a 78.5% response rate where 133 students replied out of 177 total students. Overall the
knowledge and attitude of palliative care were good. There were some misconceptions especially the
use of morphine and role of physician in the management of dying patients. Conclusion: There were
gaps identified following the completion of the study. Misunderstanding in different aspect of care
should be remedied with more exposure and practicality suitable to undergraduate medical curriculum
learning