Subspecialty Careers: Highlights about Careers in Internal Medicine: Geriatric Medicine

Subspecialty Careers: Highlights about Careers in Internal Medicine: Geriatric Medicine

The Discipline

From the Greek word geron, "an old man," and iatreia, "the treatment of disease."

Geriatric medicine involves the recognition of differences in presentation of disease and the importance of maintaining functional independence in elderly patients. Geriatrics is a primary care discipline oriented toward preventive, routine, acute, and chronic medical care of elderly patients.

Procedures

Important procedural skills include cognitive assessment, functional assessment, gait assessment, home safety assessment, motor vehicle driving assessment, and needs assessment on hospital discharge, including rehabilitation.

Training

Geriatric fellowship training requires 12 months of accredited training beyond general internal medicine residency.

Training Positions
For the 2010-2011 academic year, there are 105 ACGME-accredited training programs in Geriatric Medicine with 290 active positions. Thirty-two percent of the trainees are female and 64% are U.S. medical graduates.

Certification

The American Board of Internal Medicine offers subspecialty certification in Geriatrics.

Major Professional Societies

American Geriatrics Society
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 801
New York, NY 10118
(212) 308-1414

The Gerontological Society of America
1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 842-1275

Major Publications

The Gerontologist
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society


Back to April 2011 Issue of IMpact

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