EDUCATIONAL LEADERS IN GERONTOLOGY: INTRODUCING COMPETENCY-BASED GERONTOLOGY EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN

摘要

There are no courses in gerontology in Kazakhstan to train its medical students; however, this is about to change. Two Kazakh Scholars received 10-month internships at Virginia Commonwealth University. As part of their internship, they completed the 160-hour Faculty Development Program (FDP) by the Virginia Geriatric Education Center. The FDP is a case-themed, interprofessional curriculum grounded in evidence-based practices, with objective competencies reflecting the PHA; format is an in-person, monthly, interactive seminar series designed to increase knowledge and competency in interprofessional geriatrics and clinical care skills. To fulfill requirements of the FDP, participants complete a “curriculum project” inspired by FDP content. The Scholars designed a teaching intervention and evaluation plan to address the gap in gerontology education in Kazakhstan. Their project led to a 90-hour, two-credit course on the foundations of gerontology at Medical University that is about to be implemented. The Scholars incorporated the AGHE Gerontology Competencies for Undergraduate and Graduate Education as a framework for the curriculum. The primary objective is to introduce first-year medical students to the foundations of gerontology. Students will be paired with older adults to learn about the individual’s experiences with health and the healthcare system. The curriculum reflects not only the traditional “bio-psycho-socio” template but also content and competencies on critical thinking, research, and problem solving. The overall goal is to establish an effective means of infusing geriatrics content into the medical school curriculum, while positively affecting mentors’ and students’ attitudes toward each other. Obstacles to implementation and successful processes are critically examined.