ACADEMICS AND THE NURSING-HOME

Several characteristics of the nursing home justify its new found stat us as an academic site, including a heterogenous patient population, a rich and varied milieu for teaching, opportunities for faculty develo pment, and more importantly, the nursing home's new found position in the health care continuum. Mandates from a number of professional and accrediting bodies pertaining to primary care training experiences fur ther highlight the nursing home's role in medical education. In additi on to education, research in the nursing home has become increasingly recognized and valued. The incorporation of nursing facilities into th e academic mainstream will impact positively not only on patient care and age-related clinical investigation but also on the breadth and qua lity of training for the primary care physician of the future.