Jennie Chin Hansen on CRIT
A program to familiarize chief residents with the intricacies of treating geriatric patients with medically complex conditions is at the top of Jennie Chin Hansen’s agenda these days. Jenny has always been a dedicated and outspoken advocate for improving the quality of life and care for elderly patients, and as the CEO of the American Geriatrics Society since April 2010, she is pursuing programs to accomplish that goal.
What is the program called?
The program is called Chief Resident Immersion Training, or CRIT for short. It was developed at the Boston University Medical Center in 2003.
What is CRIT’s goal?
The two-day immersion program is intended to help chief residents better understand geriatric principles and give them the skills needed not only to treat this critical—and steadily growing—population, but also to educate younger physicians to the special needs of older adults with medically complex conditions. CRIT encourages collaboration among different disciplines, and this too has been beneficial in bringing a better understanding of special geriatric issues to a much wider audience.
What has the program achieved to date?
A great deal, I’m pleased to say. It’s been disseminated to 15 institutions nationwide, where it has resulted in significant cultural changes in residency training and collaborative geriatrics care across a broad range of disciplines. Chief residents also report that CRIT has broadened their knowledge and understanding of geriatric issues as well as given them confidence in their ability to teach these skills to others.
As the geriatric segment of our population increases, this kind of program becomes more and more vital, and CRIT is filling that need admirably.
Note: The CRIT program is administered by the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs in partnership with Boston University Medical Center and supported by grants from the Hearst Foundations and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Program for Faculty Development to Advance Geriatrics Education