JAMA Medical News The Push for Geriatrics Education
Dec 19, 2025
Emily Harris, a freelance journalist and Harvard medical student, dives into the pressing need for better geriatrics education. She reveals the current inconsistencies in geriatrics training across U.S. medical schools. Key barriers include misunderstanding the field and a lack of accountability. Harris also highlights successful models like early exposure and interprofessional training. Through systems-level changes, she advocates for integrating age-friendly principles into routine healthcare, ensuring physicians are equipped to care for older adults.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Widespread Gaps In Geriatrics Training
- Geriatrics education is highly inconsistent across U.S. medical schools and residencies.
- Fewer than half of medical schools require geriatrics and many fellowship spots remain unfilled.
Older Adults Disproportionately Use Care
- Older adults form a disproportionate share of health care use and spending relative to their population size.
- This mismatch makes geriatrics skills essential across all specialties, not just for geriatricians.
Accountability And Misunderstanding Block Progress
- Two major barriers are lack of accountability and misunderstanding what geriatrics entails.
- Without testing or explicit requirements, geriatrics gets sidelined and mistaken for ordinary care of older patients.