In recent years, the value of role models to the education process has received a great deal of attention.
Role models are invaluable to medical students and particularly important in the area of geriatrics.
Interaction with physicians and other health care professionals who treat older people with compassion can help students become sensitive caregivers. Faculty who are interested in geriatrics should be encouraged to serve as role models. Programs can be developed for students to spend a day with a community or faculty geriatrician. Visits to outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and other facilities for the elderly can often be arranged informally between faculty and interested students. This firsthand exposure to geriatrics helps students to evaluate career options and is an expedient way to provide students with learning experiences in the field.