EDUCATION IN GERIATRICS - A REQUIRED CURRICULUM FOR MEDICAL-STUDENTS

The mandatory geriatrics and gerontology curriculum at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York includes two modules for first- and se cond-year students and a four-week block experience for fourth-year st udents. The first-year curriculum emphasizes socioeconomic, psychosoci al, biomedical, and attitudinal issues. The second-year experience ser ves as an introduction to clinical geriatrics. The fourth-year clerksh ip allows students tb further develop their fund of geriatric knowledg e, learn specific geriatric skills, and build on their internal medici ne foundation, integrating new knowledge and skills and developing int o comprehensive practitioners who can apply the team approach to addre ss all the medical, functional, psychosocial, and ethical aspects of c aring for the elderly.