Geriatric Medicine

Geriatric Medicine is one of the largest specialties in the UK. It offers a stimulating intellectual challenge: illness may present in unusual ways in older people, they frequently have multiple pathologies that interact, and they are particularly prone to adverse drug reactions. It allows you to maintain a generalist approach while also developing a subspecialty interest. This can range from stroke to Parkinson’s Disease, falls and fracture prevention, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, to name but a few. It also offers the chance to work both in community and hospital settings. Research is at last generating an ever-expanding evidence base for the management of many conditions in old age and the National Service Framework for Older People has laid out some challenging targets for health care provision. There are presently around 800 consultants in the specialty but numbers are expanding, so career prospects are excellent.

The most effective Geriatrician is an excellent general physician with good communication skills, who is able to work well in a team with other disciplines and can empathise with older people. Most people are attracted by the holistic way that the specialty takes on acute investigation and management together with subsequent rehabilitation and discharge planning, all tailored to each individual’s needs.

The Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) in Geriatric Medicine includes representatives of the London, Glasgow and Edinburgh Medical Colleges, the British Geriatrics Society and the Specialist Registrars themselves. It meets four times each year, and works with the JCHMT to maintain training standards in the specialty across the country. This is achieved by close contact with Regional Advisers, attendance at Specialist Registrar annual assessments and regular inspections of training programmes across the UK.

Due to regular revisions, arising from changes in the training environment and the requirements of the PMETB, the JRCPTB are currently running various curricula for trainees in each specialty.  All relevant curricula are listed at the bottom of this page under Documents.  Use the filter option on the right-hand side, together with the guidance notes below,  to help you select the correct document.  In summary:

• If you are a run-through (Specialty Registrar [StR]) trainee, you will follow the curricula tagged as ST3+ 

• If you are an ‘old style’ SpR, you are following the curricula tagged as SpR

• If you enrolled prior to 01/01/03, you will be following the original curricula which are no longer available for download, see note below

Competence Based Curricula and Assessment – StRs

PMETB has received the assessment system (blueprint and RITA/ARCP grid) for Geriatric Medicine and this has been approved.  

The assessment blueprints show the possible methods that can be used to assess each of the competences in the curriculum. Trainees and trainers should refer to the blueprints for guidance on the appropriate assessment methods for each aspect of the curriculum, and so plan the training programme according to the criteria set by the RITA Decision Aid. It is not expected that all competences will be assessed by all methods, rather that there will be a sampling of competences within a variety of settings, both within formal and workplace-based assessment, from which overall competence acquisition has to be determined.

 Acute care common stem (Medicine) trainees will also follow the ACCS training manual.

Competence Based Curricula – SpR (for trainees enrolling after 1 Jan 2003)

The JCHMT introduced revised curricula for all the medical specialties together with a generic curriculum that applied to all trainees back in 2003. These are competence-based and set out the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be acquired by trainees before they may be awarded a CCT.

Curricula (for trainees enrolling before 1 Jan 2003)