Learning by living: life-altering medical education through nursing home-based experiential learning

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Learning by Living Project (referred to as Learning by Living) was piloted in 2006 as an experiential medical education learning model. Since its inception, medical and other health professions students have been "admitted" into nursing homes to live the life of an older adult nursing home resident for approximately 2 weeks-24 hours a day/7 days a week-complete with a medical diagnosis and "standard" procedures of care. The Learning by Living Project applies qualitative ethnographic/autobiographic research methods to collect students' perspectives and experiences about life lived as an older adult with functional challenges in a residential setting. To date, all students have completed their extended stay successfully and felt that this experiential learning project provided life-altering medical education. Longitudinal data reveals that students' maintain patient-centered attitudes and skills such as the use of eye contact, touch, body position, and voice cadence. Barriers to working with older adults are decreased; understanding is gained by "wheeling a mile in an older person's wheelchair."