| Summary: | Inadequate numbers of physicians skilled at providing specialized care of
the elderly, has initiated inquiry as to how medical schools will ensure tomorrow’s
physicians are capable of providing the most appropriate care for Canada’s
growing population of aging seniors. The Canadian Geriatrics Society has
responded to such concerns with the establishment of recommended geriatric
learning objectives. This thesis examined the geriatric content of the
undergraduate curriculum of Canada’s newest medical school, the Northern
Ontario School of Medicine, and compared these findings to the Canadian
Geriatrics Society’s recommended ‘Core Competencies in the Care of Older
Persons for Canadian Medical Students’. While there was a respectful
compliance with the recommendations, findings reveal that five of the twenty
recommended competencies were absent in the curriculum objectives.
Further, present competencies were found to be unequally distributed across the
curriculum in relation to both the year and the teaching setting. The results
suggest areas for improvement as recommended competencies are intended as
a minimum standard for performance in caring for the elderly.
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