Geriatrics Education: Phone Calls With Older Adults and Medical Students.

Background And Objectives: The rapid increase in the older adult population necessitates an increase in physicians who are adept at caring for the various medical comorbidities that accompany aging. To fill the gap in geriatric medical education and overcome barriers to medical student interest in geriatrics, we developed a friendly caller program that links medical students to older adults through multiple weekly phone calls. This study examines the impact of this program on geriatric care competency, a foundational skill for primary care physicians, in first-year medical students.