Increasing interest in geriatric medicine through participation of pre‐medical students in a specialized HELP program

More age-friendly healthcare providers are needed to meet the increasing demand of America's aging population. However, medical students' interest in geriatrics is low.1 One method to increase interest is through early exposure1, 2 with initiatives focusing on trainees, such as medical, nursing,3-10 and college students.11-15 Few programs combine clinical experiences with lectures covering topics from physiology to humanism in geriatric medicine.5, 6, 10 Most programs emphasize non-clinical experiences to get to know the patient as a person.3, 7, 11-15Our educational program highlights hospital volunteer experiences where students implement evidence-based delirium prevention interventions outlined in the internationally recognized Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP),16 supplemented by monthly lectures. While similar programs exist, such as one that combines didactic sessions with home visits of patients with dementia,13 ours is the only program we identified that combines HELP with structured education and discussion. The goal of this pilot study was to investigate how exposure to geriatric medicine before medical school through HELP impacts students' interest and attitudes toward geriatrics.