The Visibility of Geriatrics in US Medical Schools

In the October 2022 edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Catherine MP Dawson and colleagues examined the number of US medical schools that provided exposure to geriatrics during the education of students.

In the study, 191 allopathic and osteopathic accredited medical schools were surveyed using the construct of “Geriatrics On-Line Visibility” which graded the institutions as having high, medium, or low levels of exposure to geriatrics in the course curriculums.

The researchers concluded 76% of the schools provided an optional clinical experience in geriatrics and only 45% of programs required a geriatric rotation for all students.

Unfortunately, Dawson concluded, “Relying on medical students to opt into geriatrics opportunities is unlikely to generate enough physicians with strong skills in delivering Age Friendly care to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of Americans reaching elderhood.”  The theme of the article implies that students cannot be what they cannot see—they cannot foresee a practice in geriatric medicine if they have no exposure to geriatricians. 

To increase the opportunities for students in geriatric rotations, medical schools will need to focus on the inclusion of geriatrics through changes in the curriculum committee. However, unless and until accreditation bodies require these changes, it is unlikely that the value of geriatrics will be fully appreciated, despite the increased number of geriatric patients now and in the future.

Reference:
Dawson CMP, Abiola AO, Sullivan AM, Schwartz AW, members of the GERI Team Research Group. You can’t be what you can’t see: a systematic website review of geriatrics online—visibility at US medical schools. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022;0(10):2996-3005. doi:10.1111/jgs.17997