THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MEDICAL STUDENT INTEREST GROUP IN GERIATRICS

As society ages, there is an increasing demand for knowledge and skills to care for the elderly. Innovative ways to stimulate the interest of medical students in geriatric medicine present an important challenge to medical schools today. This article discusses the value of a student interest group in meeting this challenge. In 1988, the Department of Geriatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City initiated a student interest group in geriatrics. Over the ensuing years, this group has provided medical students with a forum for pursuing research interests in geriatrics, networking with other students, and interacting with faculty role models interested in geriatric medicine.