In an unusual and collaborative teaching program, Amsterdam Nursing Home
(http://www.amsterdamcares.com)
served as host to medical students on June 12
to teach them one of the most important aspects of medicine - the physical examination.
The program was the brainchild of Director of Geriatrics Medical Education,
Dr. Veronica LoFaso. "Traditionally, the hospital has been a source of patients
with interesting physical findings that students must learn," said Dr. LoFaso.
"Increasingly, however, patients are not "in-house" long enough for students to
meet and benefit from them. The nursing home seemed like an ideal place to remedy
this problem in that it is their home, and they love interacting with our students."
Using the Geriatric Student Interest Group
(http://www.cornellaging.org/medical/student_interest.html)
as a final group of learners, Dr. LoFaso approached Amsterdam Nursing Home's Medical
Director, Dr. Stephen Lansey, who loved the idea. "We have many, many patients with
interesting problems who are delighted to help students in training." Together, Drs.
Lansey and LoFaso created an evening interactive curriculum in which every student had
a chance to examine and interview patients with supervision by a Divisional Faculty member.
"I thought the experience was incredible," said Sarah Schellhorn, a first-year student.
Another first-year student, Tzivia Moreen, agreed, calling it "fantastic. It gave us a
chance to interact with older adults and do some handspon exams and see some things we
would not normally see as first-year students." In fact, students were disappointed that
they could not spend even more time with the residents. As Laura Fanning, a second-year
student, remarked, "We have the rest of our careers to rush around - now is the time to
enjoy being able to talk to patients for as long as necessary to find out what their
story is."
The residents were similarly moved. One resident commented that she could think of no
greater gift to give a doctor in training than the knowledge the student might gain from
spending time with her. Another resident comments on how the students were so appreciative,
but that, in reality, she thought she got more personal satisfaction out of the evening
than they did.
The program was generated with funds from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, who awarded
the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology $2 million in 2001 to enhance geriatric medical
education at the Weill-Cornell Medical College.