Geriatrics Fellowship

Apply for an accredited one-year Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine.

Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the National Residency Matching Program.

The Geriatric Medicine fellowship is open to physicians (MD or DO) who are board-eligible or board-certified in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine from an ACGME approved residency, plus have Step 3 USMLE completed. For foreign medical school graduates, you will also need an ECFMG certificate.

What You will Learn

As a fellow, you will complete rotations with The University of New Mexico Health System and the Veterans Administration Hospital (VA). You will get comprehensive training in geriatrics and develop the skills, judgement and professional ethics necessary to care for a diverse population of seniors. UNM operates a free-standing Senior Health Center for ambulatory care patients. The VA Hospital offers an ambulatory care program, a home care program and a rehabilitation program.

In addition to monthly rotations, you will have continuity experiences which include outpatient clinics, nursing home and home visits. You will also get 2 months of elective rotation time. A new addition to the fellowship experience is the opportunity to spend a month at Zuni Pueblo (Western New Mexico near Gallup) and work with the elder population on the Zuni and Navajo reservations through the Indian Health Services.

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Fellowship Sample Block Schedule

Month	July	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Jan.	Feb.	March	April	May	June
Rotation	Home based primary care - VA	Memory and aging	Geriatric Psychiatry	Nursing Home	PACE	Hospice	Palliative Care	Wound Care	Rehab	Palliative Care	Elective	Elective
Ongoing/Weekly	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home	Clinic Nursing Home

Vacation time allowed: 21 days - Annual Leave

Sick time allowed: 21 days - Paid Sick/Health Leave

Wellness days allowed: Half-day quarterly – Personal Wellness

Conference time allowed: 5 days - Annual Educational Allowance

Clinical Experience

Your year will be divided into one- to two-month block rotations:

Rotation and Elective Blocks with Geriatric Subspecialties

Audiology
Dermatology
Ethics
Geropsychiatry
Home based primary care (with the VA)
Hospice and palliative care (inpatient and outpatient)
Indian Health (at Zuni Pueblo) requires a 3-week commitment
Inpatient (UNM Hospital)
Nursing home medical directorship
Neurology
Neuropsychology testing
Orthopedics
Rehabilitation
Rheumatology
Sleep disorders
Urology
Oncology

Electives:

Two months of electives may be selected from the subspecialty list or not from the list with the approval of the Program Director. Electives are generally scheduled towards the end of the Fellowship, however a change in the rotation order can be discussed if desired.

Educational Experiences

In addition to monthly rotations, you will attend a series of teaching conferences. The UNM Department of Internal Medicine hosts Geriatric Interest Rounds, Journal Club, Internal Medicine Grand Rounds and more.

There is also a required quality improvement project and opportunities to become involved in research.

Fellows are also strongly encuraged to think about attending one National Level conference including submitting their QI projects to the conference.

Material to help you prepare for the geriatric medicine certificate of added qualifications board exam, is provided.

Take a virtual tour of UNM Hospital

Geriatrics Contact

Fellowship Program Director

Alexander DeRadke, DO
Department of Internal Medicine
MSC 10 5550
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131- 0001
Email

Medical Education Program Coordinator

Monica Eissele
Office Email: Email