First Year Medical Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Interest in Geriatric Medicine

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an extracurricular geriatric program on medical students' knowledge of, and attitudes toward, the elderly and their interest in studying geriatric medicine. The participants were first-year medical students (n = 137) who joined the Senior Teacher Education Partnership (STEP) program that partnered medical students with community-dwelling elders. Although results show that the STEP program had minimal effect in changing first-year medical students' knowledge of the aged and aging, it did promote a more positive view of the elderly as being functionally independent and socially active. Statistical analyses also revealed that prior interest and participation in the STEP program are significant indicators of students' interest in pursuing geriatric medicine after completing their first year of medical school. (Contains 4 tables.)