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Geriatric Psychiatry Teaching in Canadian Medical Schools: a Cross-Sectional Study

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Abstract

Objective

With a growing geriatric population and limited geriatric psychiatrists in Canada, it is crucial to provide sufficient training in geriatric psychiatry during medical school. The authors examined how geriatric psychiatry education is delivered in Canadian medical schools during clerkship. Factors that could be associated with increased geriatric psychiatry teaching in medical schools were examined. The authors were also interested in comparing Canadian to US findings.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was distributed to the psychiatry medical education representatives attending the Canadian Organization of Undergraduate Psychiatry Educators (COUPE) semi-annual meeting in September 2017.

Results

All 17 (100%) medical schools completed the survey. Fifteen of the 17 schools (88%) have geriatric psychiatry-specific learning objectives. Five schools (29%) offer a clinical component in geriatric psychiatry. One school has an award for clerks (6%), and no awards exist for faculty. The number of lecture hours in geriatric psychiatry is moderately correlated with the presence of a geriatric component to psychiatry clerkship (Spearman’s rho = 0.67, p = 0.003) and the length of the geriatric portion of clerkship (Spearman’s rho = 0.64, p value = 0.006). Lecture hours are also moderately correlated with the presence of a geriatric fellowship (Spearman’s rho = 0.68, p value = 0.003).

Conclusions

Geriatric psychiatry clerkship education is inconsistent in Canada. There is virtually no recognition of excellence in teaching or undergraduate performance in this area in clerkship. Geriatric psychiatry may receive more frequent attention in Canadian medical schools than in US medical schools.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the members of the Canadian Organization of Undergraduate Psychiatry Educators (COUPE) for graciously completing the survey providing data for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Soojin Chun, Alan Bruce Douglass & Elliott Kyung Lee

  2. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Susan W. Lehmann

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

    Catherine Hickey

Authors
  1. Soojin Chun
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  2. Alan Bruce Douglass
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  3. Susan W. Lehmann
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  4. Catherine Hickey
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  5. Elliott Kyung Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elliott Kyung Lee.

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Ethical Considerations

This work was reviewed by the Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR) Research Ethics Board (REB) who voiced no objection to this work.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Chun, S., Douglass, A.B., Lehmann, S.W. et al. Geriatric Psychiatry Teaching in Canadian Medical Schools: a Cross-Sectional Study. Acad Psychiatry 43, 407–410 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-019-01032-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-019-01032-y

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