IU School of Medicine Student Portal

Elective Title: 93MI830 — GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Description:

What do you need to know about older adults to be an intern? This elective will give you experience in the health care of older adults that will be fundamental for adult medical and surgical residencies. You will select from a menu of clinical venues where you would like to focus your time during the rotation and will meet with the Course Director prior to the rotation to decide these areas of clinical emphasis. Options for clinical training venues include, for example, the Acute Care for Elders Service, House calls for Seniors, Extended Care Service and Center for Senior Health at Eskenazi Health Services, and Older Adult Clinic at the VA Medical Center. In these venues, in addition to working with the geriatrician, you will work with an interprofessional team to provide care to our older adult patients (particularly those who have a complicated medical history). You will see both "well" older adults and those who have functional and cognitive disabilities in these venues. During your rotation, you will practice alongside Department of Medicine residents who are completing a one-month required geriatrics rotation and will be supervised by geriatricians. In addition to the clinical experiences, you will attend an interactive conference series that covers core geriatrics clinical topics including, for example, delirium and drug prescribing in older adults. You will participate in identifying and presenting an evidence-based, systematic review of the literature on a geriatrics topic with the residents. There are no night call or weekend responsibilities for this elective.

Elective Details:

Primary Contact for Add/Drops: Glenda Westmoreland (gwestmor@iu.edu); Susan Duffy (spduffy@iu.edu)

Director: Glenda Westmoreland, M.D.

Campus: Indianapolis

Location: IU Health University Hospital, IU Health Methodist Hospital, Roudebush VA Medical Center, Eskenazi Health Services (Indianapolis)

Learning Objectives

  • 1) Define the principles of geriatric medicine (SBP2)
  • 2) Identify normal aging (MK1)
  • 3) Demonstrate the ability to perform geriatric assessment (PC1)
  • 4) Manage older patients in a variety of settings (PC1)
  • 5) Show consideration for the heterogeneity of function among older adults (MK1)
  • 6) Pay attention to patient autonomy and individual health care wishes (P1)

Assessment

  • Clinical Performance Evaluation Form; (Direct Observation)

Enrollment Information

Prerequisites: 4th year status

Availability with Max Students per Month:

AprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDecJanFebMar
222000222222

Duty Hours: 40

Time Distribution: 70% Clinical; 20% Library; 10% discussion group

Elective Type Category: CP - Clinical Practice

Notes and Enrollment Information:

Add/Drop Contact Person: Glenda Westmoreland (gwestmor@iu.edu); Susan Duffy (spduffy@iu.edu) THIS ELECTIVE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE INITIAL SENIOR MATCH. If interested in enrolling in this elective, please contact Dr. Glenda Westmoreland (gwestmor@iu.edu) and Susan Duffy (spduffy@iu.edu) to request permission. Please note: If rotating at the VA, credentialing is required. VA credentialing is a complex and time-sensitive process.

Third Year Elective? No

Interprofessional Skills and Service Learning

Interprofessional Collaborative Skills: Yes

Skills Description:

Service Learning Included: None