Geriatric Medicine

During this rotation, residents should develop an approach to the following conditions:

• Approach to frail, older persons, their family, and/or caregivers

• Functional assessment

• Delirium

• Depression

• Dementia

• Urinary incontinence

• Medication use in the elderly

• Rehabilitation, continuing care, and home care services

• Competency

• Osteoporosis/fractures

• Falls and immobility

• Constipation

• Understand transitions of care

• Perform comprehensive geriatric assessments including:

• cognitive, functional, psychosocial

• medication review

• pertinent problem lists

• care plans with interdisciplinary team

Updated August 2025.

By the end of this rotation, residents will be graded as “progressing as expected” in each of the following and in the Global Rating.  The expected level of performance in the PGY1 year is Interpreter level,  PGY2 is Manager level, PGY3 is Educator level (See Program Information - Overall Goals and Objectives).

1. Medical Expert

• Data Collection and Clinical Reasoning: The resident appropriately collects and synthesizes clinical information to formulate a primary diagnosis and appropriate differential.

• Clinical Decision Making: The resident is able to make appropriate and cost-effective investigation and management decisions based on the context of the case and best available evidence.

2. Communicator

• Patient and Family Communication: The resident communicates with and about patients and family in a patient-centered manner.

• Documentation and Verbal Presentation: The resident appropriately documents and verbally presents cases for new admissions, progress notes, handover of care, and discharge summaries (succinctly organized, prioritized, summarized).

3. Collaborator

• Interdisciplinary Team: The resident works well in a team, shares work, and interacts with allied healthcare providers and other consultants effectively.

4. Leader

• Efficiency: The resident prioritizes tasks and manages time effectively.

5. Health Advocate

• Patient Advocacy: The resident advocates for patients by obtaining/expediting investigations, consults, or access to other resources during inpatient care or during transition to the outpatient setting.

6. Scholar

• Personal and Team-based Learning:  The resident demonstrates an effective personal learning strategy (reading around cases, appropriate use of resources) and shares knowledge with other team members.

7. Professional

• Scope of Practice:  The resident is trustworthy and responsible, knows limitations (asks for help appropriately), and responds well to feedback.

Assessment

We will use the following In-Training Evaluation Report (ITER):   

• Geriatrics Wards

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)

This rotation focuses on mainly Core of the Discipline EPAs. However, due to scheduling, a resident may do this rotation during Foundations. Residents are allowed to start Core of Discipline EPAs during the Foundations stage. This rotation is an ideal learning environment for the following EPAs:

• FD1: Assessing, diagnosing, and initiating management for patients with common acute medical presentations in acute care settings

• FD2: Managing patients admitted to acute care settings with common medical problems and advancing their care plans

• FD4: Formulating, communicating, and implementing discharge plans for patients with common medical conditions from acute care settings

• CD1: Assessing, diagnosing and managing patients with complex or atypical acute medical presentations

• CD2: Assessing, diagnosing, and managing patients with complex chronic diseases

• CD3: Providing internal medicine consultation to other clinical services

• CD6: Assessing capacity for medical decision-making

  • Refusing home supports or care facility

• CD7: Discussing serious and/or complex aspects of care with patients, families, and caregivers

• CD10: Implementing health promotion strategies in patients with or at risk for disease   (e.g. Falls / Frailty, Medication reviews)

Program Director

Dr. Aatif (Mohammed) Hussain

mahussai@albertahealthservices.ca

Medical Education Program Coordinator

geriatri@ualberta.ca