Undergraduate Teaching in Geriatric Medicine: The Role of National Curricula

Abstract

There has been recent international concern that the teaching of geriatrics may be in decline. Research has suggested that support for geriatrics in national undergraduate curricula is the key to effective delivery of teaching in the specialty. We set out to determine the geriatric medicine content in the U.K. generic curriculum, reviewing this in the context of the international guidance available on undergraduate teaching in geriatric medicine. Ten learning outcomes from the U.K. generic curriculum were identified as being relevant to geriatric medicine. The domains of learning and actual learning outcomes were similar among the specialty curricula from different countries. Expert-judge consultation revealed general satisfaction that these outcomes were adequate in depth and scope. Our findings show the U.K. generic curriculum supports the learning outcomes suggested in the specialty undergraduate curricula in geriatrics providing additional weight to calls for a comprehensive review of undergraduate teaching in geriatrics. This process of validating specialty curricula against national guidelines might be usefully replicated in other countries.