What Should the Surgeons Do at the Family Meeting: A Multi-Disciplinary Qualitative Description of Surgeon Participation in Palliative Care Discussions

•Growing consensus that palliative care skills should be included in surgical training.•Attending surgeons want to be part of palliative discussions though struggle with competing time demands.•Conflict around goals of care remains a challenge for attending surgeons to navigate.•These data provide an outline to support faculty development efforts in palliative care instruction.