Geriatrics Fellowship – Curriculum

The Department of Family Medicine at East Carolina University offers Fellowship in Geriatric medicine for board-eligible and board-certified physicians in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine who have trained in ACGME-accredited programs in the US or Canada. The one-year fellowship is designed to prepare individuals for the practice of all aspects of Geriatric medicine and to act as a Geriatric medicine consultant and a physician leader in the medical community.

The program encompasses care of older adults over the entire continuum of care including independent living, assisted living, and nursing home sites. Fellows complete 13 structured block rotations of patient care and teaching in the nursing home, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation centers, 900+ bed teaching hospital, inpatient hospice and ambulatory geriatric clinic. Didactic presentations are designed for each site.

Fellows provide direct patient care, have primary clinical responsibilities in all clinical settings, and are under the direct supervision of the Geriatrics faculty. Teaching sessions are held weekly and cover a wide range of topics. Fellows spend approximately 90 percent of their time in clinically-related activities, with two to three Geriatric continuity clinics a week.

Rotations

Nursing Home Responsibilities
  • Longitudinal Long-Term care including skilled nursing home level and memory care. Each Fellow will serve as Primary Care Physician for 2 patients throughout the year.
  • Nursing home telephone call scheduled once every 4 weekends
  • Fellows will also provide care to other persons with dementia and/or skilled care needs at Cypress Glen Continuous Care Retirement Community
Longitudinal experience
Rehabilitation Center1 block
Ambulatory Rotation at Monk Geriatric Center4 blocks
Neurology/Psychiatry1 block
Inpatient Medicine
  • Geriatrics Consultant and/or acting attending for Family Medicine Teamwith Geriatric faculty
Longitudinal blocks, no night call
Electives (2 weeks each) may include
  • Hematology, Neurology, Dermatology
  • Possibly an away rotation (depends on lifting of GME COVID-19 pandemic restrictions)
  • Others as can br arranged based on availability
1 block
Hospice and Palliative Care1 block

1 block = 4 weeks

Continuity Clinics

Geriatrics at Monk Geriatric Center3 half days/week if no FM/IM clinic elected
Family Medicine or Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic if elected by Fellow1 half day/week

Specialty Clinics (during Ambulatory Rotation)

Home Visits (during Palliative Care rotation)1-2 half days/month

Consultation Service (throughout the year)

Multi-disciplinary Clinics: AGES and Falls Clinics (one half-day/week)

Didactics

  • Weekly Meetings (Wednesday morning, 8:00-9:00 am) Sessions Include:
    • Research Progress Meeting
    • Journal Club
    • Geriatrics Review Syllabus Question Review – Preparation for Certificate of Added Qualifications Board Exam
    • Case Management/M&M/Quality Improvement
  • Presentations during Family Medicine Residents’ Academic Afternoon

Research

  • Fellows work on their own research project
  • Poster presentation at national meetings, usually The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ADMA) and/or American Geriatrics Society (AGS)
  • Poster or Verbal presentation at local/regional research consortia

Other Duties

  • Administrative Fellow
  • Representation at Occasional Community Events