Health care workforce development in rural america: when geriatrics expertise is 100 miles away

Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2012;33(2):133-51. doi: 10.1080/02701960.2012.661812.

Abstract

The Geriatric Scholar Program (GSP) is a Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) workforce development program to infuse geriatrics competencies in primary care. This multimodal educational program is targeted to primary care providers and ancillary staff who work in VA's rural clinics. GSP consists of didactic education and training in geriatrics and gerontology and in quality improvement (QI) and support to implement a local QI project; in addition, elective options include webinars, audio conferences, clinical practica, and mentoring. The program is effective in improving core competencies in geriatrics and in improving clinical care for older Veterans who receive health care in rural clinics.

MeSH terms

  • Education, Medical, Continuing* / methods
  • Education, Medical, Continuing* / trends
  • Education, Medical, Graduate / organization & administration
  • Geriatrics* / education
  • Geriatrics* / organization & administration
  • Health Services Accessibility
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Humans
  • Needs Assessment
  • Primary Health Care / organization & administration*
  • Quality Improvement
  • Rural Health Services*
  • Teaching* / methods
  • Teaching* / trends
  • United States