Building psychosocial programming in geriatrics fellowships: a consortium model

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Medical Education
• Psychosocial Health

Background:

• Psychosocial problems significantly impact older adults' health and well-being.
• Existing geriatrics fellowship programs lack comprehensive psychosocial curricula.
• The New York Metropolitan Area Consortium was formed to address this educational gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop model educational programs for geriatrics fellows focusing on psychosocial issues.
• To share interinstitutional resources and foster collaboration among fellowship programs.
• To improve geriatrics fellows' understanding and management of psychosocial challenges in elder care.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative design and implementation of an annual psychosocial educational conference (2008-2010).
• Interdisciplinary faculty from 20 academic institutions participated.
• 146 geriatrics fellows attended the conferences.

Main Results:

• Participant evaluations showed increased knowledge, interest, and comfort with psychosocial issues.
• Fellows reported a positive impact on their ability to care for older patients.
• The conference fostered valuable interinstitutional networking among fellows and faculty.

Conclusions:

• The Consortium's educational model positively impacts geriatrics fellowship training.
• The conference effectively enhanced fellows' psychosocial competence.
• This collaborative approach is a potentially replicable model for other regions.