With our rapidly aging society, there is a growing question around what it means to be geriatric and what will happen to each of us when we reach that stage in our lives. Dr. Michael Harper has had a long and satisfying career in the field of geriatric medicine and, in this episode, brings his expertise and knowledge to the discussion. Unlike a lot of other specialities, in many medical schools, there is no specific geriatric training, other than end of life care,  It is also a field of medicine that has many fellowship training spots unfulfilled each year. Therese Markow and Dr. Harper discuss why this may be, as well as the growing needs of geratric patients. 

 

 

 Key Takeaways:

• There are a lot of variations in how we age and every person is different. As we get older, those differences become more stark than when a person was younger.
• Those in the geriatric speciality, have one of the highest career satisfaction ratings in medicine. 
• Geriatricians know how to keep people out of the hospital, how to prevent unnecessary care, and more, if we give them the chance to share. 

 

"We need to increase our exposure of young people, before medical school, to older adults." —  Dr. Michael Harper

 

 

Connect with Dr. G. Michael Harper:

UCSF Profile: Michael Harper, MD  

Book: Geriatrics Review Syllabus (10th Edition)

 

 

Connect with Therese:

Website:   www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: [email protected]

 

 

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