NSU Horizons Spring 2012

6 HORIZONS Fully Immersed At the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics, students are required to be fully immersed in geriatrics. NSU students must complete a compulsory geriatric rotation. “We are one of about 18 schools in the country where our students spend a month in geriatrics,” said Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics. A geriatri- cian and endocrinologist, Pandya heads the NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Geriatrics Clinic inside the Health Professions Division at the Sanford L. Ziff Health Care Center. “This is the place where many of the theoretical aspects of collaboration and interprofessional collaboration really happen,” said Pandya. “Students are exposed to the geriatric approach, which entails assessment of all aspects of patients’ lives: physical, functional, cognitive, and social.” During clinical experiences, students learn that elder health requires a whole-patient approach. “It’s important for students who train in geriatrics to know how to manage geriatric syndromes in older patients, not just to manage their diseases. For example, hypertension and diabetes behave differently in older people,” said Pandya. Students from the College of Pharmacy, College of Optom- etry, and Center for Psychological Studies (CPS) work together at the Geriatric Clinic. Faculty members also provide patient care at the Alexander (Sandy) Nininger, Jr., State Veterans’ Nursing Home and Covenant Village Care Center in Plantation, Florida. Students in the physical therapy program at the College of Health Care Sciences join doctors on rounds at the nursing centers. Additionally, two one-year fellowship training positions in geriatrics are being coordinated in conjunction with Broward General Medical Center. Specialty training includes interdisci- plinary geriatric assessment, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, geropsychiatry, and end-of-life and palliative care. “The fellows there teach residents and help train nurses and medical assistants who are taking care of older people in the hospital setting,” said Pandya. The medical school has four fellowship positions for those who want to specialize in geriatric medicine. In Florida, there are only 3.4 geriatricians for every 10,000 individuals over the age of 75, while the national average is 5.5. “We are working to change that,” said Pandya. While much emphasis has been placed on interdisciplinary education and practice, the geriatric education center at the College of Osteopathic Medicine is moving progressively into interprofessional practice. In interdisciplinary practice, two or more professionals from within the same core discipline come together, such as a geriatrician, cardiologist, and endocri- nologist, all in the eld of medicine. With interpro- fessional practice, two or more different profes- sions work with the patient in a fully coordinated, patient-centered manner. “Our Fall Prevention Clinic is an example of this. NSU can become a model school for interprofessional training as we continue to use the great resources that the university has in preparing students to work with Florida’s growing elder population,” said Rokusek. Gagnon-Blodgett also oversees NSU’s Counseling Center for Older Adults, which makes outpatient psychotherapy available to area residents who are 55 or older. The Counseling Center provides an extensive training ground for doctoral psychology students, and now interns, who will have older clients in their practices when they become professionals. This year, CPS added a geriatric specialty rotation, ensuring that budding psychologists have advanced clinical training in this area. “This is so important for our students and for their future clients. This rsthand experience, while being supervised by someone who has expertise in geropsychology, gives our students an edge,” she said. Above: NSU offers seniors creative outlets as well as experts in audiology and optometry trained to work with geriatrics.