Clinical training

Our fellowship offers a blend of primary care geriatrics and subspecialty geriatrics. Foundational (required) clinical training includes both block rotations and longitudinal experiences. Ample elective time and individualized areas of concentration (tracks) allow you to tailor the training experience to match your interests and career goals. 

Foundational (required) geriatric rotations (41 weeks total plus 20 days of vacation)

Longitudinal clinical experiences

In addition to block rotations, you will have multiple longitudinal clinical experiences that span the academic year.  You will become adept at caring for older adults across the care continuum.

• Primary care geriatrics. You will care for a panel of older adults living in the community. Half-day per week (every Monday afternoon).
• Home-based geriatric assessments. You will provide in-home geriatric consultations for homebound older adults. Half-day per month (Friday afternoon).
• Skilled nursing facility. As part of the broader post-acute and long-term care experience, you will provide care for both short-term and long-term SNF residents. While you will have the opportunity to see patients in multiple SNFs throughout the year, much of this experience occurs at Samaritan Bethany Home on Eighth, an SNF located near campus.

Individualized areas of concentration

You will have the opportunity to tailor your training to align with your goals via the selection of a concentration area (track). This model was introduced several years ago to ensure that fellows are able to maximize the value of their clinical training. Concentration areas are aligned around common geriatrics career paths and/or clinical venues, and include:

• Post-acute and long-term care (includes formal certified medical director training via PaltMed; option for rural focus if desired)
• Geriatric medical education (includes participation in the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education Clinician Educator Pathway; application required)
• Acute care (inpatient) geriatrics

Concentration areas have several integrated layers, including carefully selected 1:1 faculty mentorship, intentional use of elective time, committee/administrative involvement, and, in some cases, additional formal didactic training (as noted above).  

Academic training

The first year of the fellowship is largely focused on clinical training, though numerous opportunities exist to hone your academic skills. You will give multiple oral presentations, both internally and at externally-facing Mayo continuing medical education courses. You will conduct a mentored group quality improvement project, the results of which are typically presented at a major geriatrics society meeting. Most fellows also present one or more case reports at major geriatrics society meetings. Opportunities also exist to become involved in research during your first year, if you desire.

Optional second (research) year

If you have a strong interest in research, you have the option to extend your fellowship by an additional year. Interested fellows apply by the winter of their first year, and, if accepted, spend the second year of fellowship focusing heavily on academic skill development. This mentored experience provides scholars with the statistical, epidemiologic, and study design skills needed to succeed in an academic career in geriatric medicine. You will have the opportunity to complete a certificate or master's degree in clinical research, funded by Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. You will maintain a once weekly (Monday afternoons) geriatric primary care clinic, but the remaining 90 percent of your time is protected for academic pursuits.

Our fellowship also offers the first-of-its-kind GeroScience Training Pathway in conjunction with the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging.

Second (research) year rotations (49 weeks total plus 20 days of vacation)

Conferences

A variety of conferences are held, including but not limited to those listed below. Fellows also attend specialty conferences while on rotation.

Teaching opportunities

You will have numerous opportunities to teach medical students, resident physicians, and other members of the healthcare team through bedside instruction and formal didactic lectures. Throughout the fellowship, you are taught how to give effective presentations through mentorship and coaching.

As a fellow in our program, you will spend your time at several locations in Rochester, both on-campus and near campus:

• Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. This is the main hospital where fellows complete inpatient rotations, including but not limited to geriatric medicine consults, palliative medicine consults, geriatric psychiatry consults, and brain rehabilitation consults (PM&R).
• Downtown Mayo Clinic Campus. Most outpatient rotations, including but not limited to primary care clinic, outpatient PM&R, behavioral neurology, geriatric cardiology, movement disorders clinic, and wound clinic take place on the downtown campus.
• Post-acute and long-term care facilities. Fellows will see patients in multiple nursing homes, assisted living facilities, memory care units, and continuous care retirement communities in the Rochester area.
• Patient homes. Fellows have both longitudinal and block experiences doing in-home geriatrics consultations.

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