Geriatrics Fellowship

Program Director: Keith VanOosterhout, MD

Lakeland HealthCare is pleased to offer an Osteopathic Family Medicine Geriatric Fellowship program.

In 2008, an Institute of Medicine report entitled “Retooling for an Aging America” concluded that “Health care workers are inadequately prepared in geriatrics and that the current workface is not large enough, by far, to meet older patient’s needs.”

An accompanying editorial in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (October 2008) suggested that the patients more likely to benefit from geriatrics care are “older patients with complex medical needs, frailty or other geriatric conditions, disability, dementia, or those needing palliative or end of life care”.

The Geriatric Fellowship Program at Lakeland Regional Health System aims to produce geriatricians who provide appropriate medical care to the frail elderly, serve as a medical staff resource, and provide geriatric expertise for community needs.

The program will provide experiences across the continuum of geriatric care practices, focusing on coordinated care models.

The fellow will demonstrate and apply knowledge of osteopathic medicine appropriate to geriatric care.

Our low trainee-to-attending ratios are assured to provide our fellows with an intimate, quality fellowship experience.  All of our attendings are board certified.

• 1 Position Available for 2014
• Program applications and interviews are held on an ongoing basis

Curriculum

The Geriatric Fellowship is 12 months in duration. We offer thirteen four week rotations.

Rotational Structure is as follows:

1. Twenty-four weeks inpatient hospital care
   • Geriatric consults – Lakeland Specialty Hospital; Lakeland Regional Medical Center
   • Inpatient Palliative Care consults – Lakeland Specialty Hospital; Lakeland Regional Medical Center
2. Eight weeks sub-acute Rehabilitation in nursing home setting
   • Four weeks – Lakeland Specialty Hospital
3. Four weeks Geropsychiatric Care
   • Offered as an outside rotation
4. Four weeks Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
   • Inpatient and outpatient
5. Four weeks Neurological Care
   • Outpatient
6. Four Weeks Hospice/Palliative Care
   • Inpatient, ambulatory, home care and medical director training.
7. Four weeks of Wound Care
   • Training in wound care, home care, and podiatric needs of the elderly as well as nutritional needs of the elderly and also research opportunities.
8. Four weeks of Dermatology

Continuity of Care

1. Two half days/week ambulatory clinic
   • Primary Care – PACE Clinic
   • Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment – PACE Clinic
2. Long-term care
   • Will be assigned 4-8 nursing home patients to follow on long-term care throughout 12 months fellowship at Lakeland Specialty Hospital.
3. Home Care
   • Will be assigned 4 patients to follow through Lakeland Hospice/Homecare.

To view the Geriatric Fellowship Program Manual Click Here

For more information on Lakeland's Family Medicine Geriatric Fellowship please contact:

Dr. Keith VanOosterhout, Program Director
kvanoosterhout@lakelandregional.org

Jacquelyn Clark, Medical Education Coordinator
jeclark@lakelandregional.org or 269-687-1158 phone

Tori Lucker, Administrative Assistant
tlucker@lakelandregional.org