Preparing our medical students to care for an aging population: implementation of a fall risk assessment curriculum

Medical schools must prepare their trainees to address the common problems facing an aging society. We developed a medical student curriculum on mobility and fall risk assessment that culminates in a formative standardized patient (SP) activity. We present this curriculum focusing on our growth-oriented multisource feedback approach. Following a didactic session, students participate in an SP encounter, a note station, and a self-assessment. Each student is provided with a highly individualized feedback report broken down by five skills evaluated by the SP, a faculty rater and/or the student themselves. Skills include 1) communication/professionalism, 2) physical examination, 3) history taking/reporting, 4) assessment and care planning, and 5) self-assessment. Each skill is graded as "exceeds," "meets," "partially meets," or "does not meet expectations." Detailed formative comments are provided regardless of level of performance. Of the 397 students who completed the curriculum, 157 (39.5%) had at least one skill not fully meeting expectations. Forty-three students (10.9%) had two skills, nine students (2.3%) had three skills, and three students (0.8%) had four skills not fully meeting expectations. While students overall performed at a high level, the detailed formative feedback provided each student with a clear path for growth and improvement.