Preceptor: Meghan Lembeck, MD
Contact: Sofiya Volflenok, Sofiya.Volflenok@NYULangone.org
Telephone:  212-263-6613

Prerequisites: Medicine Clerkship

Who should enroll in this elective?

Students who are considering Geriatrics as a career, or students who are interested in learning more about how to care for older adults in their own chosen specialty.

Clinical sites

Tish/Kimmel Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, NYU Pearl Barlow Memory Center, NYU Langone Geriatrics Clinic, Gouverneur Health

Description

This is a 4-week elective that seeks to build on knowledge of care for older adults, and enhance the experiences gained in the pre-clerkship and clerkship years.  We also seek to provide opportunities to which you may not otherwise have exposure It may be used to build upon experience from the 2-week Geriatrics Elective. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to nearly all specialties through clinical experiences in diverse environments.  Outpatient experiences are varied, with rotations through the primary care geriatrics clinic at Bellevue, the Pearl Barlow Memory Center and NYU geriatrics clinic for exposure to a geriatrician’s consulting role, and with embedded palliative care consultants in specialty clinics, including oncology and nephrology. Inpatient experiences include seeing patients with both the geriatrics and palliative care consult services at Tisch Hospital, as well as nursing home and rehabilitation at Gouverneur Health, with a focus on wound care. We can arrange a variety of experiences, or focus your elective on the areas in which you are most interested. 

Objectives of the Elective

By the end of this elective, through daily contact with patients and didactics, you will:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the field of geriatrics and care for older adults, building on your pre-clerkship and clerkship experiences, through a broad exposure to opportunities within geriatrics
2. Expand your skills in inpatient and outpatient workup and management of older adult patients, which can be applied across specialties
3. Learn about specialty-specific history and physical exams, and performing a full geriatric assessment.  You will also observe and learn the skills necessary to have advance care planning discussions that are essential for patient care in all fields
4. Gain knowledge regarding treatment modalities used to treat older adults, and the practical application of standardized guidelines to the individual patient
5. Gain insight into the interdisciplinary nature of this specialty and how our clinicians interact with other medical disciplines to provide comprehensive patient care
6. Explore geriatrics as a potential career choice

Key Responsibilities of the student while on Elective

By enrolling in this elective, you have agreed to:

1. Participate in at least 35 contact hours of education each week
2. Provide communication of any excused absences to the Office of Student Affairs (excused absence form) and to the elective coordinator, in a timely fashion 
3. Arrive in a timely fashion to all locations to which you are assigned  
4. Be an active participant in the care of patients being followed by the team, as dictated by the resident/attending
5. Attend all didactics provided for trainees, as outlined below
6. Prepare and present a chosen topic at the completion of the rotation

Key Responsibilities of the preceptor/residents/faculty while you are on Elective

By accepting your enrollment in this elective, the department has agreed to:

1. Clearly communicate their expectations of you
2. Maintain a supportive clinical learning environment 
3. Ensure that you have access to a broad case mix and clinical experience  
4. Provide the education necessary for you to gain an understanding of the patients and pathology reflective of this specialty
5. Provide feedback on your clinical skills

Weekly Schedule

Week 1

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Bellevue outpatient Geriatrics Primary Care Clinic	Bellevue outpatient Geriatrics Primary Care Clinic	Bellevue outpatient Palliative Nephrology Clinic	Bellevue outpatient Geriatrics Primary Care Clinic	Bellevue outpatient Palliative Oncology Clinic

Week 2

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Inpatient Geriatrics Consult Service	Inpatient Geriatrics Consult Service	Inpatient Geriatrics Consult Service	Inpatient Geriatrics Consult Service	NYU Barlow Memory Center – Outpatient Consultant Geriatrics

Week 3

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service	Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service	Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service	Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service	Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service

Week 4

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Gouverneur Nursing Home (including wound care)	Gouverneur Nursing Home (including wound care)	Gouverneur Nursing Home (including wound care)	Neuropsychological Testing observation at the Barlow Memory Center	Barlow Memory Center – Outpatient Consultant Geriatrics

Method of Evaluation

All cases seen by students are presented to an attending preceptor who then goes over the case and sees the patient with the student.

Scheduling Information

Duration: 4 Weeks 

Months Offered: September-June

Student point of contact before start of elective: Meghan Lembeck, 347-342-6850

On day 1, students report to: Virtual Orientation on Webex on the first morning

Students per elective block: 3