IMPLEMENTATION OF A GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY TRACK IN THE FOURTH YEAR CURRICULUM

Introduction The field of geriatric psychiatry is a growing field with a need for providers increasing as well. Due to this, we have implemented a "geriatric psychiatry track" into the fourth year curriculum in our program which was piloted this year for the first time. This innovative track allowed for more in depth-training in the geriatric field for a resident who will not be pursuing a geriatric psychiatry fellowship. We feel that though fellowship may not be the decided path for some residents, there should still be the option for increased training for treating the geriatric population which will become important in their future careers. I was such a resident in our program and in working with Dr. Garcia-Pittman, we created this track which we feel will be a beneficial option in other programs as well. Methods This poster will discuss the track we created and its implementation. Results N/A Conclusions Having more robust geriatric psychiatric training in the general adult residency program can be a very beneficial option for residents. Most residents who will be practicing adult psychiatry in any setting will very likely treat geriatric patients and this knowledge background will be important to provide good care. In addition, with the geriatric population ever-growing, they may not all be seen by board-certified geriatric psychiatry and thus it is additionally important to have general adult psychiatrist be knowledgeable in the care of this population. This research was funded by N/A