Candidates for the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine; Who, Why, and When?

Abstract

We surveyed physicians who took the examination for certification for Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine, physicians who only inquired about the examination, and physicians who expressed no interest in the examination to learn about practice characteristics of those who took the examination and their reasons for taking it. Based on a 72% response rate, we were able to demonstrate that those who took the examination took care of an older population of patients and disproportionately more of the oldest-old. These physicians were more likely to report the care of older people to be a professional focus and, in internal medicine, were more likely to have had formal training in geriatrics. Their reasons for taking the examination were primarily to obtain credentials but also frequently to improve their ability to care for older people. Nearly two-thirds of those who had inquired about the exam but did not take it in 1988 plan to do so at a later date.

How Many Physicians Will Be Needed to Provide Medical Care for Older Persons? Physician Manpower Needs for the Twenty‐First Century

“…We can, however, estimate the number of actual geriatricians needed. Based on our survey, 10 we estimate that, on average, 43 percent of geriatricians’ time is devoted to clinical care of older persons. The remainder of their time is spent teaching, conducting research, performing administrative work, or providing clinical care to persons less than 65 years of age.…”

“…The overall response rate for the survey was 72 percent. A more detailed description of the sampling, instrument, and administration of this survey has previously been reported 10 …”

Is Geriatrics a Primary Care or Subspecialty Discipline?

“…This sampling strategy was designed to provide data for our study of physician supply needs and information about physicians taking the first Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine examination. Further details of our sampling methodology, the survey instrument (available on request from the first author), and survey administration have been described elsewhere 8 …”

The Current State of Geriatric Medicine: A National Survey of Fellowship‐Trained Geriatricians, 1990 to 1998

“…22,23 In 1988, the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Family Practice agreed to jointly offer an examination for a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine (CAQ), which is currently available only to fellowship-trained geriatricians. 24,25 Originally, the fellowship was 2 or more years in length, with the first year empha-sizing the special clinical needs and care settings of older persons and subsequent years intended to provide a framework for targeted aging research and academic development. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32] In response to growing national concerns over the lack of a geriatric physician work force, the two boards agreed in 1995 to shorten the eligibility requirements for the CAQ examination from 2 years of fellowship training to 1.…”