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08 •


FYi Careers


COMING OF AGE


The UK population is ageing and the proportion of older people in the community is greater than ever. What better time to consider the specialty of geriatric medicine?


increasing state pension retirement age to the need to overhaul the funding of elderly care and consider improvements in end-of-life care. An ageing population presents unique challenges for the NHS and could present the specialty of geriatric medicine with a unique opportunity to grow. Geriatric medicine is defined as the branch


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of medicine concerned with the clinical, preventive, remedial and social aspects of illness in older people. It is the largest specialty within the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and involves close interdisciplinary working with nurses, therapists, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers and many other healthprofessionals including GPs, old age psychiatrists and many hospital clinical specialists. While it may not be viewed as the most


glamorous of the medical specialties, the fact is that almost two thirds of general and acute hospital beds are in use by people aged 65 and older and 43 per cent of NHS spend is on this group. Geriatrics is said to be enjoyable, stimulating and rewarding and there is some argument that given the growth of this patient group, geriatric medicine should be a compulsory part of the medical school curriculum.


Entry and training The British Geriatric Society (BGS) recommend that doctors who are interested in a career in geriatric medicine gain experience either during F1/F2 on a general medical ward or apply for an F2 taster experience. They advise medical students to look at their choice of elective and ensure it offers relevant exposure to the specialty.


The BGS describes the personal qualities of a geriatrician as someone who:


• enjoys acute medicine and a variety of the medical specialties


• likes to sort out multiple and complex medical problems and is prepared to engage strongly with the social care sector


• is a good listener and communicator


T’S A widely known fact that, on the whole, people in the UK are living longer. Average life expectancy is expected to reach 90 by 2015, a good seven years longer than in 1997. The knock-on effects of this are many, from a steadily


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