Curriculum

Curriculum

The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship advances the education, skill and successful careers of fellows within geriatrics. Upon completing this one-year specialized program, our trainees are well-equipped to attain certification in the subspecialty of Geriatric Medicine from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) or the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine (AOBIM) or a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine from the American Board of Family Medicine.

Key teaching faculty are board-certified internists and fellowship-trained geriatricians. In addition, some faculty are also board certified in palliative medicine.

Clinical experiences

Our program features monthly rotations and long-term clinical assessments in various settings including:

• Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
• Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Glennan Center consultation clinics
• Sentara Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly program (P.A.C.E.)
• Post-acute and long-term care facilities
• A dementia care assisted living facility
• A life plan community

Fellows will engage in the following rotations:

Educational experiences

We provide an array of learning experiences outside the clinic. Fellows present several conferences each year to allow for every fellow to perform systematic literature reviews; this will allow each fellow to synthesize data and teach peers. These learning experiences are an integral part of the geriatric medicine fellowship training year:

• Clinical case conferences
• Core topic reviews
• Journal clubs
• Board review sessions
• Research conferences
• "Most Difficult Case" conferences
• Geriatrics sit-down rounds
• Interprofessional conferences
• Department of Medicine grand rounds

We offer opportunities for fellows to grow as practitioners and professionals through the following activities:

• Institutional committee meeting
• Final Rounds
• Practice Management Course
• Research Day
• Faculty Development Series
• Virginia Geriatrics Society Annual Conference
• Virginia Medical Directors Association

Our fellows attend one national conference or symposium each year such as the American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting, the Gerontological Society of America or the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

Community Outreach

The Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology collaborates with many community-based programs providing service and education to seniors and families. Fellows participate in one community outreach event during their training year, which may include staffing a healthcare information booth or presenting an educational program to a local senior center or community audience.

Fellows are encouraged to participate in activities sponsored by the Students for the Advancement of Geriatric Education (S.A.G.E.) and Beyond Clinic Walls. S.A.G.E. is open to all attending students, residents, and fellows with an interest in geriatric patient care, education, research, and contemporary issues facing the aging population. Activities include speaker presentations, panel discussions, outreach events, and monthly sit-down rounds with in-depth patient case presentations.

Beyond Clinic Walls pairs interdisciplinary student teams with older adults facing complex medical and social challenges. These student teams conduct biweekly home visits to their assigned clients for the academic year. Student teams work collaboratively, with each team member contributing their discipline's unique insight, to help their client maintain independence and improve their quality of life. Fellows participate in orientation, in-services to student team members, and twice-yearly Round Table discussion groups.