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 The overall goals of the fellowship program in Geriatrics are:
The selection of outpatient and inpatient clinical sites offered through The University of Chicago, Department of Medicine, exposes fellows to a diverse patient population not usually found in academic medical centers. Each fellow in the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program completes 12 months of intensive clinical training. The program offers an invaluable opportunity to learn about elder patient care in a variety of settings. Clinical experiences include three longitudinal clinics in our two outpatient facilities; Outpatient Senior Health Center at South Shore and Windermere Senior Health Care Center, in which fellows have the opportunity to follow their own panel of geriatric patients under the supervision of a Geriatrician preceptor. Fellows collaborate with a Geriatrics Social Workers and Advance Practice Nurses and other sub-specialty physicians. In addition, fellows spend time on the Inpatient General Medicine Service under the direction of a geriatrics attending. Fellows also participate in consultations in conjunction with the geriatrics attending on the other medical and surgical services in the hospital. Core rotations are provided in the following areas for all fellows in the Geriatric training:
Palliative Care The Palliative Care Unit at Northwestern University, a nationally recognized unit, offers our fellows an opportunity to experience in-patient palliative care. In-Home Hospice Fellows learn the principles of hospice care including the care of patients and their families in their homes. Acute Rehabilitation Obtaining skills involved in the acute rehabilitation setting is another key element in a well-rounded geriatrics-training program. During this rotation fellows learn the key principles of rehabilitation medicine as they apply to the older patient mainly in the settings of acute stroke, joint arthroplasty, and repair of fractured bones. Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders Fellows complete a two-month rotation at the Memory Center evaluating new patients and participating in the multidisciplinary case conference. Frail Elderly Fellows complete a rotation in the Frail Elders Clinic where they become members of a multi-disciplinary team that systematically evaluates and treats patients who have been screened for moderate to severe frailty. Incontinence Clinic Fellows learn about incontinence and voiding dysfunction in elder persons from a geriatric perspective. Nursing Home Wound Rounds Fellows learn about diagnosis, staging, risk factors and management of pressure ulcers and other complex wounds. Geriatric Psychiatry Fellows learn to evaluate and treat older patients with psychiatric problems in the outpatient clinic setting. Elective rotations are available in the following areas:
Uro-gynecology Fellows have an opportunity to work with an uro-gynecologist to learn the different approaches to evaluating and treating urinary incontinence. Osteoporosis Fellows work with an endocrinologist to learn the diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with osteoporosis. Ophthalmology Fellows hone their clinical skills in the evaluation of the aging eye. Neuro-psychiatry Fellows observe and participate in the administration and interpretation of neuropsych testing for patients with complex cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Geriatric Rheumatology Fellows learn about rheumatic problems in the older patient and the art of joint aspiration and injection. Survivors Clinic at South Shore (Geriatric Oncology) Fellows learn about the different issues involved in caring for older patients with cancer. Falls Clinic Fellows have an opportunity to learn how to evaluate and treat older patients who are at high risk for falls. PEACE Clinic (Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer’s Care Efforts) Fellows along with a multi-disciplinary team help patients with progressive life-limiting illnesses and their families by focusing on pain and symptom management, alternatives to invasive and heroic medical procedures and options for care. Fellowship Training Program in Geriatric Oncology The Department of Medicine and the nationally ranked Section of Geriatrics and Section of Hematology/Oncology are committed to building a center of excellence in geriatric oncology at The University of Chicago, one of only 5 centers to receive American Society of Clinical Oncology support for post-graduate training. Our goal is to train academic leaders in this new and growing sub-discipline. This 3 or 4 year interdisciplinary program satisfies all clinical training requirements for board eligibility in both disciplines. A distinguished faculty creates a supportive environment that includes nationally recognized leaders in both fields. The oncology faculty is active in clinical, basic and translational research, with particular strength in pharmacology and therapeutics. The division is actively involved in cooperative group trials of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B that emphasize enrollment of elderly subjects. The University of Chicago offers an extraordinary depth of research mentorship in health care services and outcomes research through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and the Department of Health Studies, and in ethics through the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and the Section of Geriatrics. Geriatrics research at The University of Chicago, a Hartford Center of Excellence recipient, is marked by broad collaboration, with studies in geriatric health care, clinical and research ethics, health policy and communication. Both Geriatric and Hematology/Oncology programs are highly competitive and have established records of successful training of young investigators. The Section of Hematology/Oncology accepts 6 new fellows per year for the 3 year clinical program. The Section of Geriatrics accepts 2-3 first year fellows for the one year clinical program. Fellows are strongly encouraged to pursue an academic track and to obtain support for research training. Trainees are expected to identify research interests and mentors and to pursue competitive applications for research training support, as are all fellows-in-training in both disciplines. The curriculum in geriatrics oncology integrates training in both disciplines. In general, geriatric oncology fellows will pursue a program that is predominantly geriatrics in the first year, including inpatient, outpatient and long term care experiences but also with oncology continuity clinics. In the second year, geriatric oncology fellows typically will shift to a more traditional oncology program while maintaining an outpatient geriatric oncology (Survivor Clinic) continuity panel. The research interests of the trainee will be considered for flexible programming. The Geriatrics” Survivor Clinic” is a unique clinic established for the purposes of training geriatric oncologists and for developing clinical expertise in the multidisciplinary care for elderly cancer patients. Geriatric oncology fellows participate in comprehensive evaluation and continuity care of this diverse clinical population. The trainee is thus able to follow the same patient across levels of care from ambulatory primary care to inpatient oncology, skilled nursing and home. As the program grows, inpatient geriatric oncology consultation will become available. |
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