A few things must be in place for a medical student to become a geriatrician. One of these things is a strong desire to find out more about older people. Most clinical faculty don't have enough time or training to teach all the details of caring for older people in a good way. But a medical student can make the connection by doing certain things. Some of these things will be talked about in this article.
There are many ways to get into a residency in geriatrics. The National Institutes of Health has fellowship programs that you can apply for. Many of the fellows who have gone through these programs are still doing research, either at the NIH or at other academic institutions. MD/MPH or MD/JD are also possible alternatives. Students must pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination no matter which training program they choose. The National Board of Medical Examiners and the Federation of State Medical Boards are in charge of giving this test.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has given the program its seal of approval, and a number of fellows who have gone through it have become certified in geriatric medicine. Rotations in subspecialties like geropsychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, gerodentistry, optometry, podiatry, and sleep disorders are also part of the fellowship. There will be electives in orthopedics and children's health, as well as ambulatory care programs for disabled older people. There will be a focus on continuity of care, both for people who are hospitalized and for those who are not.
If a fellow is new to geriatrics, he or she might want to take an online geriatrics training course. These programs give an overview of common health problems in older people and helpful ways to deal with them. This online course can be finished in as little as an hour and could help people who want to work with older people. These courses are made for people who work in health care and take care of older people.
Even though most training programs don't have a formal curriculum for geriatrics, they do teach about it. Some programs have teachers who have been trained in geriatrics, while others do not. In any case, an internist might benefit from a residency program in geriatrics. It's important to note that training in geriatrics is very useful in all areas of medicine. But how do they use this information in their training?
The American Geriatrics Society wants to thank long-time health care policy consultant Susan Emmer and former AGS board member Jane Horvath for their help. Several former AGS and Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs (ADGAP) board members, such as Dr. John Burton, ADGAP's past president, and Dr. Elizabeth Bragg, co-investigator of an ADGAP longitudinal study, looked over the report.
Even though some procedures are the same for kids and adults, geriatricians have to weigh the risks and benefits of each treatment. For example, a patient who is 30 years old may need surgery to fix a broken bone, but a patient who is 80 years old may not. A skilled geriatrician, on the other hand, can take care of both young and old people. A geriatrician will also have to deal with patients who are more difficult or complicated.
Everyone knows that interprofessional teams need training. A specialized training program should include a curriculum from different fields, such as training in the community. Students from different health fields should be in this training setting. An interprofessional curriculum is meant to change how students think about older people. You should also think about working in geriatrics, which needs a wide range of medical professionals. The best place to train is among older people.
Geriatricians who work in rural areas need special training to take care of older people. Geriatricians aren't always easy to find in rural areas, so the people who work there will need more training. Also, older adults with complex needs are more likely to live in rural places. A health care team trained in geriatrics can meet these needs. So, a training program for rural geriatricians is a good choice for the rural health care workforce.
The training program focuses on continuity of care, preventing diseases, and the psychosocial aspects of care. It combines teaching in the classroom with research, administration, and teaching, and it has three fellows each year. During the course, the fellow will get training in four different areas of geriatrics: teaching, research, and management. During the program, the fellow will have to do research, teach, and go to training sessions for everyone in the division.