A Nationwide Evaluation of U.S. Geriatric Fellowship Websites: Assessing Program Information Availability

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2025.3072

Keywords:

Geriatrics, Fellowship Training, Analysis, Evaluation

Abstract

Introduction: Prospective students interested in any medical fellowship seek out program information in order to help them make application and attendance decisions. Additionally, the field of geriatric medicine is traditionally underserved in the United States, and attending geriatric fellowship programs can make a great impact in improving this population’s care. The purpose of this study was to examine geriatric medicine fellowship program websites and assess their available information for prospective fellows. Methods: Using the Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS), a list of websites was created of U.S. institutions offering Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited geriatric programs also participating in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP, or “the Match”). Every website was evaluated for 8 items of application information such as application deadlines, program director/coordinator contact information, and a list of application requirements and 17 items of program information, such as compensation, locations of service, and rotation schedule. Results: In total, 103 programs were assessed in this study. Overall, the information most often listed on these fellowship websites were program affiliation (100%), training sites (88.3%), and program coordinator’s contact (83.5%). In total, only 51% and 45% of all application and program information, respectively, was available according to the assessment criteria. There is a clear lack of information for prospective fellows to access. Conclusion: In order to help increase fellow attendance, adequate information must be available. With the increasing geriatric population, there will be an increased need for fellowship-trained physicians trained in geriatric medicine to serve them

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References

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This stacked bar chart presents a visual representation of the proportion of available versus missing data for two categories: Application and Program. In the Application category, 418 data points were available, while 406 were missing, indicating that nearly half of the expected information was absent. In the Program category, 795 data points were available, but 956 were missing, showing an even greater proportion of missing information. The chart emphasizes the significant data gaps in both categories, particularly within program-level data, which could impact the accuracy and completeness of any subsequent analyses.

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Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Courtois, E. C., Lahti, J., Varkey, T. C., & Agarwal, N. (2025). A Nationwide Evaluation of U.S. Geriatric Fellowship Websites: Assessing Program Information Availability. International Journal of Medical Students, 13(2), 154–161. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2025.3072

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Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025)

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Original Article

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Copyright (c) 2025 Emily C. Courtois, Jacob Lahti, Thomas C. Varkey, Nimit Agarwal

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