Geriatrics Recruitment Resources

at the Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (Emory University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Schools of Medicine)

Program Overview

The Hartford Foundation Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM) is a collaborative CoE between the Emory University and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Schools of Medicine. Since 2004, the CoE has held an annual resident recruitment program entitled the “Resident Award Summit” to:

• recruit potential clinical or research fellows into the Emory and UAB training programs
• expose Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residents to various topics in geriatrics
• increase the residents’ knowledge of career opportunities in geriatrics
• increase the likelihood of the residents pursuing additional training in geriatrics
• provide an overview of post-residency Geriatric Medicine fellowship opportunities at Emory and UAB.

This program is modeled on the successful “Geriatrics is Your Future” resident recruitment seminar developed by the Baylor College of Medicine CoE.

Program Operations

Each spring, 99 Residency Program Directors in seven southeastern states are contacted via regular mail and e-mail and asked to nominate up to two of their most outstanding residents, at any level, who are interested in the care of older adults. Residents nominated to receive the SCEGM Resident Award are required to submit a personal statement describing why they should be chosen to attend the weekend event.

The SCEGM Leadership Committee selects approximately 35 residents to attend the program each year. Selection is based on the strength of the Residency Program Director’s recommendation and the resident’s demonstrated interest in geriatrics. The invitees selected are contacted via regular mail and e-mail and congratulated on receiving the nomination and being chosen to receive the SCEGM Resident Award. Invitees are asked to sign a contract of attendance before travel arrangements are made by SCEGM staff and University travel agencies.

The one-and-a-half day weekend program includes an introductory “geropardy” session; breakout sessions on a variety of geriatrics clinical and care delivery topics; and plenary sessions on geriatric medicine career trajectories and post-residency geriatrics opportunities at Emory and UAB. Breakout sessions are in the form of didactic lectures and roundtable discussions.

All participants receive an award certificate at the conclusion of the program, together with a variety of take-home materials, including the American Geriatrics Society publication Geriatrics at Your Fingertips; a geriatric medicine textbook; handouts from the event’s didactic sessions; and specific information about the various fellowship training programs.

Staffing Requirements

Approximately 20 faculty members and 8 current and/or recent past fellows participate in the program to provide the didactic lectures, lead roundtable discussions, and interact with residents. The Geriatric Education Manager handles the program planning and implementation. Two administrative staff assist by creating a program-nominee database and helping with logistical arrangements.

Program Costs and Funding Sources

Conference space, housing, and catering costs differ greatly by location. The budget generally depends on the location, but with fuel prices increasing, travel costs will increase. The total budget will be approximately $30,000 this coming year in Atlanta, though in the past it has averaged $16,500. Costs are reduced by taking advantage of affordable local air travel and free conference space from UAB, and the cost for catering from UAB Hospital is about half that of using a hotel caterer.

Emory and UAB each contribute $7,500 from the CoE grant. Any additional funds have been provided by the UAB Center for Aging. These funds cover all resident and faculty travel expenses, materials, meeting space, and food. The average cost of the program per resident is approximately $518 in Birmingham and $1,036 in Atlanta.

Process and Outcomes Data

125 residents have attended the event since its inception in 2004. Six states were represented in 2007; 17 participants that year were in their second year of residency and 15 were in their third year.

Between 2004 and 2006, 9 of the 22 fellowship positions at Emory and UAB have been filled with participants from this program. Several other attendees have been interviewed, but were not offered positions.

Implementation Lessons

• A group size of 30 to 35 residents allows for a more personal, cohesive environment, with more meaningful and participatory small- and large-group discussions and opportunities for relationship building.
• It is important to have both current and recent fellows attend, to interact with the residents and answer their questions.
• Include a variety of educational sessions (games, group lectures, didactic break-out sessions, and facility tours) so the focus isn’t entirely on promotion of the fellowship program.
• Break-out sessions and social events provide important opportunities for more intimate interactions with peers and mentors.
• If possible, the event should be held in a location that requires minimal transportation between meeting venues. When the event is in Birmingham, the Saturday portion of the meeting is held in the University Hospital Conference Center, which is adjacent to the hotel where residents the stay and where the Friday evening program is held.

Available Materials

Tools/Resources

• 2007 Program Agenda
• 2007 Participant Evaluations
• 2006 Project Budget

For More Information

Angela Rothrock Curtis, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Geriatric Education Manager
University of Alabama at Birmingham
CH19, Suite 218S
933 19th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35294-2041
(205) 975-6649
acurtis@uab.edu