The Section of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care has a strong commitment to teaching medicine residents about geriatrics. Per graduate medical education guidelines, all internal medicine residents are required to include a month of geriatrics in their curriculum. Rush second and third-year medicine residents spend one week each on the Acute Inpatient, P-PACT and SNF services, as well as the outpatient clinic. The rotation is a real eye-opener. Many residents cannot distinguish between the various levels of care available following a hospital discharge; most have never been to a nursing home. The fellows play a key role in the training of the medicine residents.

While rotating through the Skilled Nursing Facility blocks, each fellow is responsible for preparing one inservice for the nursing and nurse-assistant staff. The goal is to foster interdisciplinary communication and reinforce the great interdependence between physicians and nursing in providing quality care for patients in non-hospital settings.