Student Senior Partnership Program: University of California Irvine School of Medicine

The Student Senior Partner Program (SSPP) forms the core of the required medical student geriatrics curriculum at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine (UCISOM). The program utilizes a longitudinal modular format that extends over the first three years of medical school. Instruction is presented in didactic, patient interactive, and facilitated small group discussion sessions. Initial educational outcomes have been positive. Ongoing challenges include faculty recruitment and retention, recruiting a group of senior partners that reflects the diversity of the community, and managing generational and ethno-cultural conflicts. The program offers unique opportunities for innovative development in geriatrics education.