Developing Resident Course Directors for MS4 Geriatric Psychiatry

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Geriatric psychiatry interest among medical students and residents is waning. This poses an existential crisis to the field and to AAGP. Fresh creative teaching modalities are needed to re-invigorate and sustain learner interest in geriatric psychiatry. Fourth year medical student rotations are one space amenable to creativity and leadership development for residents interested in academic teaching careers. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve the Geriatric Psychiatry fourth year medical student rotation by introducing a PGY-2 resident with a passion for education and geriatric psychiatry as the "assistant course director". Our goal is to sustain resident enthusiasm for geriatric psychiatry and to inspire students to consider careers in geriatrics. <h3>Methods</h3> We identified a PGY-2 resident with a passion for education and geriatric psychiatry to review the MS4 Geriatric Psychiatry course with the course director. This resident was appointed assistant course director and mentored by senior education leadership. The assistant director identified faculty enthusiasm and diverse clinical sites as course strengths. They identified the following deficiencies and opportunities of improvement: poor course orientation materials, minimal inclusion of high interest reading material, no formal assessments of knowledge, and no student specific didactic instruction or case conferences. The assistant course director developed a formal orientation packet with goals and expectations, identified key readings for four weekly didactics with quizzes to assess knowledge and guide discussion, and developed pre- and post-course written exams to assess student knowledge. The resident coordinated student clinical rotation schedules between VA and university clinics and APS home visits. The success of these course quality improvements was measured using learner interviews and formal course and resident evaluations. <h3>Results</h3> Twelve students enrolled in the course. Pre- and Post-course test evaluations show improved and retained geriatric psychiatry medical knowledge. Qualitative feedback yields positive results in terms of overall clerkship organization, clinical experience, and quality of didactics. Students specifically appreciate didactics focused on neurocognitive assessment and clinical opportunities to implement the learned skills. The PGY-2 "assistant course director" reports an enhanced education portfolio and ongoing interest in a geriatric psychiatry academic career. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Mentoring resident interest through formal course directorship may be one path to enhance student interest in geriatrics and sustain resident interest in academic geriatric psychiatry. We observed improved medical knowledge and favorable rotation and resident evaluations. Resident-student learning may generate new enthusiasm for geriatric psychiatry while growing the academic skills of future geriatric psychiatrists. <h3>This research was funded by</h3> N/A