title: Advancing geriatric education: development of an interprofessional program for health care faculty.
abstract: To improve the health care of older adults, a faculty development program was created to enhance geriatric knowledge. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Geriatric Education Center leadership instituted a one-year, 36-hour curriculum focusing on older adults with complex health care needs. Content areas were chosen from the Institute of Medicine Transforming Health Care Quality report and a local needs assessment. Potential preceptors were identified and participant recruitment efforts began by contacting UAB department chairs of health care disciplines. This article describes the development of the program and its implementation over three cohorts of faculty scholars (n = 41) representing 13 disciplines, from nine institutions of higher learning. Formative and summative evaluation showed program success in terms of positive faculty reports of the program, information gained, and expressed intent by each scholar to apply learned content to teaching and/or clinical practice. This article describes the initial framework and strategies guiding the development of a thriving interprofessional geriatric education program.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care , University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Channing R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Cynthia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: Angela G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Rothrock
authors.forename: Christine S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ritchie
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004493:Education / Q000379:methods; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D058996:Quality Improvement; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States
keywords: faculty development models; geriatric education curriculum; interdisciplinary education