Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Curriculum

The curriculum incorporates a rich clinical experience that offers opportunities to select customized experiences in addition to all required components of the fellowship. The clinical training is augmented by didactic learning with the fellowship faculty. Fellows benefit from interprofessional courses with geriatric medicine and neuropsychiatry fellows and general medicine residents. Focused journal clubs and textbook readings are integrated into the year-long training.

During the training, fellows will:

• Develop expertise in the evaluation, intervention and treatment of elderly patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Acquire a core body of knowledge essential to the practice of geriatric psychiatry.
• Advance interpersonal and communication skills in order to maximize the effective of interactions with patients, families and collaborative efforts with other healthcare professionals.
• Enhance professionalism and core competencies through continuous practice and scientific based learning.
• Attain proficient knowledge of systems-based practice throughout the continuum of care.

At the conclusion of training, fellows will be able to:

• Apply specific knowledge for education in geriatric psychiatry, including theories of aging, age-related changes, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
• Evaluate patients to determine the most appropriate level of care for late-life conditions treatments using standard criteria.
• Practice ECT.
• Demonstrate competency in managing geriatric patients with psychiatric conditions and co-morbid medical conditions in inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Lead an interdisciplinary treatment team in the comprehensive treatment of elderly men and women with psychiatric disorders within a biopsychosocial-spiritual framework thus enhancing cultural sensitivity and leadership skills.
• Demonstrate competency in the medical management of the psychiatric co-morbidities among patients with cognitive disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depressive illnesses and anxiety disorders.
• Enhance individual, group and family psychotherapy skills in such modalities as cognitive-behavioral therapy, reminiscence therapy and psychodynamic methods.
• Provide consultation to Medicine, Surgery and Intensive Care units for geriatric patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Demonstrate administrative skills and leadership as a team leader and mentor and teach residents and medical students.