Ascension Providence Hospital Geriatrics/Palliative Care

Faculty Contact: Mario De Meireles, MD-Geriatrics (IM)
Vanessa Boyce, MD-Palliative Care

Rotation Location: Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield Campus
Ascension Providence Hospital, Novi Campus

Duration of the Rotation: 2 weeks (MSUCHM only) or 4 weeks

Students Per Month: 2

Work Hours: 5 days/week, generally 8am-5pm; M, T, F (Geriatrics) & W, Th (Palliative Care)

Prerequisites: 2 years of medical school; MCE completion for MSUCHM Students; completion of Internal Medicine core clerkship for students from other schools

MSUCHM Course #: MED 624

Goals & Objectives: The elective in Geriatrics/Palliative Care emphasizes the following objectives:

Several lectures or discussions will be held during the medical student’s rotation in order to review the most common geriatric topics.

To familiarize the student with the normal aging process and to promote understanding of the prevalence of the common geriatric problems.
To acquaint the student with the multidisciplinary approach used to address the complex medical conditions in the elderly.
To expose the medical student to the evaluation of elderly patients in the hospital, as well as outpatient clinical settings. The student will also experience the evaluation of patients in end of life care.
To familiarize the student with various tools of assessment and the appropriate utilization of health care resources to improve the health outcomes of the elderly population.
To expose the student to the evaluation and treatment of patients in end of life care and the use of prognostic indicators to assist in the clinical management of the patient.
To understand the transition from curative to palliative care
To understand quality of life issues
To learn about appropriate palliative care resources available
To understand hospice philosophy and approach to care
To understand the hospice insurance benefit and eligibility, along with other third party payer issues
To understand advance directives
To understand system barriers to effective care of the terminally ill
To examine one’s own views regarding death and dying and identify individual challenges in working with terminally ill patients

Several lectures or discussions will be held during the medical student’s rotation in order to review the most common geriatric topics.

Evaluation: Students will have a mid-rotation assessment and recommendations followed by a month-end evaluation. At the end of the rotation, the Rotation Director will collect data from the supervising physician and other medical team members and complete a written evaluation of the student that is reflective of the student’s academic competence, procedural proficiency and professional attributes. The standard medical school form from the student’s medical school will be used. If required, the student should complete a case log and an evaluation of the rotation and submit them to their medical school.