The overall goal of the UT SAGE program is to integrate geriatrics content into all 4 years of the medical school curriculum. We would like all UT Southwestern medical students to attain all 26 AAMC Minimum Geriatrics Competencies by graduation.
- Family Medicine Clerkship:
Students are specifically tracked in obtaining geriatric competencies during the rotation with use of a paper "passport" during the rotation. Students must show to their faculty that they have the ability to do a functional assessment (ADLs, IADLs) and cognitive screen (mini-cog). In addition, students document which geriatrics syndromes they have addressed and learned about from their patients (an average of 2 syndromes per patient).
- Ambulatory Clerkship
During the specialty month, all students rotate through an outpatient geriatrics clinic experience either at UT Southwestern or Presbyterian Hospital affiliated clinics pr housecalls for at least one-half day during their outpatient clinics time. In addition, there are two hour-long sessions on screening decisions in the geriatric patient and geriatrics polypharmacy during this month. Students also complete POGOe webGEM (web-based geriatrics education modules) during this month and are given a quiz over these modules. During the IM clerkship ward months, three MS3s and one MS4 have the opportunity to rotate monthly on the inpatient Reynolds-Eisenberg geriatrics themed-service.
- Neurology Clerkship
Three SAGE Modules - Delirium, Gait in the Elderly, and Peripheral Neuropathy in the Elderly (2011 Reynolds meeting product of the year winner) have been integrated into the clerkship. Geriatrics is prominently featured in the goals and didactics and in the clinical sites.
- OB/GYN Clerkship:
A geriatric gynecology experience has been developed by SAGE scholar, Dr. Mary Jane Pearson, who is also the lead clerkship director for the OB/GYN. clerkship. Student will learn about menopause and preventative topics for older women have been incorporated into the curriculum. The urinary incontinence module is also available for student self-directed learning during this clerkship from gerisage.com.
- Psychiatry Clerkship
Students rotate at the VA and in our University inpatient units, which are geriatric psychiatry intensive. 2012 SAGE Scholar Dr. Molly Camp has developed a psychosis in the elderly module which is available at gerisage.com.
- Surgery Clerkship
Students complete on-line short cases in the "The Virtual Patient: Self-Directed Study Guide in Surgery" which are discussed during tutorials during the course. Of the 103 wide-ranging cases, 30 are geriatric patients and include older patients with small bowel obstruction, acute cholecystitis, trauma, and other surgical conditions common in geriatrics. Students at the VA sites will see a lot of geriatric surgery.
- Course: Geriatric Medicine (IMED 0439)
The overall goal of the course is to provide students advanced clinical experience in the medical care of older adults. This outpatient rotation will give students the opportunity to:
- Appreciate the heterogeneity of older persons, with differing values, functional status, and medical conditions Learn the initial assessment and management of common geriatric syndromes.
- Understand the importance of social/ethical issues encountered in the care of the elderly patient.
- Learn the value and contributions of different disciplines in the “team approach” to care of the elderly.
- Understand the issues with transitions of care and continuity of care, with experiences in acute care, ambulatory care, assisted living, housecalls and Life Care.
