Assessing Effectiveness of a Geriatrics Rotation for Second-Year Internal Medicine Residents

Abstract Background Residents need to acquire an understanding of the biopsychosocial aspects of caring for older adults with chronic illness, along with effective use of interdisciplinary services inside and outside of the hospital. Objective We expanded the geriatric medicine experience for second-year internal medicine residents and present the results of the first year's experience. Methods We paired a mandatory rotation for postgraduate year–2 internal medicine residents (2 weeks of day and 1 week of night inpatient experience in the Acute Care for Elders Unit), and a 1-week outpatient systems-based practice experience with online modules and readings. Evaluation included a case presentation, an oral examination, a written questionnaire for all residents, and a global assessment of the residents' performance on the geriatrics portion of the 2012 In-Training Examination (ITE). Results All residents passed their oral examination; there was little difference between classes in systems-based practice kno...