Geriatrics

During the last year, two events occurred that more clearly delineated the position of geriatrics in American medicine. First, a certifying examination signifying special competence in geriatric medicine was offered under the joint sponsorship of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The American Board of Internal Medicine provides these statistics: more than 4000 physicians took the examination and 56% of those taking it passed. Second, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accepted applications for certification of geriatric medicine fellowships in internal medicine, and the training programs are now receiving notification of their accreditation status. Thus, the certificate of special competence in geriatrics and the accreditation of geriatric fellowship programs in internal medicine more clearly define the specialty of geriatrics and provide standards to measure training programs and their physician products.

Since the appearance of Rubenstein's landmark study of a geriatric evaluation unit