INT 470 - Internal Medicine/Geriatrics

The course is designed for senior medical students interested in a career in primary care internal medicine or family medicine with an emphasis on geriatrics and who wish to pursue an elective prior to the beginning of internship and residency. The elective provides diverse exposure to older patients in various settings of care: long-term care, skilled nursing facility, continuing care retirement community, memory consultation clinic, and assisted living facility. These settings allow for a rich assortment of patients and health care professionals with whom the student can interact. Daily rounds with the attending physician, opportunities to work and learn with multiple levels of trainees, and direct patient care responsibilities provide the foundation for the experience. Students should also expect to consult with members of the interdisciplinary team (PT, OT, SW, nursing, dietary, speech and language) and participate in therapy sessions, care planning conferences and family meetings. Students will attend morning reports, didactic sessions, interdisciplinary conferences, and develop and give presentations of both patients and topics to supervisory physicians, colleagues, other health professions students and staff. The student will receive the current edition of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips and attend all Glennan Center education programs and other didactics as assigned during the rotation. Development of a clinical research or library-based research project or paper and presentation at the Glennan Center Geriatric Conference is required for Honors. Glennan Center faculty, including Drs. Aravich, Galicia-Castillo, Kannarkat, Mazzurco, Morris, Okhravi, Palmer and Smith serve as advisors for student projects and are involved in teaching the geriatric elective. Students should seek consultation during week one of the rotation regarding Honors expectations to determine the student’s project goals and objectives and to map out a timeline for completion of the honor’s project.