Short-term training in geriatrics: an alternative for family medicine?

Background: Family medicine has responded to the need for training in geriatrics by creating geriatric fellowships and by including geriatric education in residency and medical school curricula. Fellowships, in particular, require extensive time commitment by participating physicians.

Methods: We developed a 1-month geriatric training experience for academic family physicians. We surveyed previous participants in this short course to determine their subsequent level of activity in geriatrics, whether they had become certified in geriatrics, and other information about their academic experience in geriatrics.

Results: Eighty-one percent of graduates of this 1-month course had passed the geriatrics certification examination, compared to only 56% nationally. Graduates of the program were active as geriatric program directors and teachers of geriatrics, but there was limited activity in research or other scholarly activities related to geriatrics.

Conclusion: Intensive short-term training in geriatrics meets some but not all of the needs for academic competency and productivity in geriatrics.