A Thematic Summary of the Geriatrics Curricula at 40 U.S. Medical Schools

It is widely acknowledged that there are not enough physicians who are selecting the specialty of geriatrics even as the number of people living longer lives continues to increase. While it is true that there are few physicians with the specialty training dedicated to treating geriatric patients, the purpose of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)/Hartford Geriatrics Curriculum Program was not to create entire classes of students that would select geriatrics as their specialty, but rather to ensure that all medical students graduate with a fundamental set of attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will enable them to provide excellent care to older adults. If the goal of medical school is to provide a general, professional education to prepare the physician to practice medicine, a broad exposure to the concepts and current practices of geriatrics should be standard in every medical school curriculum. The reports in this supplement show how one third of U.S. medical schools are striving to meet this goal. The reports give a sense of the variety and scope of the educational programs at those schools; a glimpse into how educational change occurs and is managed; and some understanding of the barriers that faculty face when attempting to make necessary changes to their curricula. These documents represent the work of hundreds of those faculty, all of whom are dedicated to giving medical students the tools to understand and treat our country’s aging population.