Introducing geriatrics into the curriculum can
be a first step toward generating an interest in the health care needs of
older adults. Integrating curricular components and developing courses in
geriatrics is best done as part of a long-range plan. Reviewing institutional
commitment is a good place to start. Will the institution be supportive and
encourage the efforts of faculty interested in geriatrics? To what extent is
the institution willing to reallocate resources? How much has the institution
already accomplished in geriatric education? Exploring these questions helps to
clarify the structural strengths and restraints within which the geriatrics
curriculum will be developed.
In addition to assessing commitment at the
institutional level, it is important to examine the strengths, interests and
areas of expertise of department heads and faculty members. Surveying faculty
to determine what is perceived as lacking in the curriculum can help to
highlight which areas would benefit from the integration of geriatrics. It can
also help to build support for efforts to add geriatric content to the
curriculum.
A survey of student interests may also be
helpful. What would students like to learn about the aging process? How would
they like to interact with older patients during the course of their medical
education? This type of survey might provide some creative ideas and new
insights for the planning process.
A successful plan must take into consideration
the clinical training sites available. Clinical courses in geriatrics require
that students have access to a concentration of elderly patients. Is the
school affiliated with a nursing home or a hospital that has a geriatric
inpatient unit? Does the school have a geriatric outpatient clinic or would it
be possible to develop one? Existing and
potential facilities will need to be reviewed
during the planning process.
After assessing the strengths and special
characteristics of the school, a plan for integrating geriatrics into the
curriculum can begin to take shape. It should build upon the commitment and
clinical facilities of the institution and take into consideration the
abilities, strengths, and time constraints of its faculty.
This strategy has been successful at several
schools including the University of Colorado School of Medicine. By discussing
perceived needs with department heads, areas of mutual interest were
discovered. This opened the door for geriatric content to be included in basic
science courses. A lecture dealing with geriatrics was added to the
Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, a first-year biometrics course added
geriatric content, and a clinical elective was offered to first- and
second-year students. This was done without special funding or allocation of
staff and it did not place geriatrics in direct competition with other areas
for curriculum time. By working together, each party achieved their respective
goals. The amount of geriatric content was increased and the quality of each
department's basic courses was enhanced. While this may not work everywhere,
it is an example of how geriatrics can be incorporated in some settings. Other
schools throughout the country have developed successful programs in
geriatrics using different strategies. Contact the American Geriatrics Society
for further information on innovative geriatrics programs.
