Demystifying aged care for medical students

BACKGROUND: Residential aged care environments can provide valuable learning opportunities for health professional education. An aged care community-university partnership developed the Beyond the Teaching Nursing Home: Community Partnership of Learning and Care (BTTNH: CPLC) programme, where older adults volunteer in learning activities with health professional students. This article describes medical students' experience of participating in a clinical learning activity as part of the broader programme. METHOD: Fourth-year medical students (enrolled in a 6-year medical degree) on geriatric medicine rotation participated in a half-day clinical visit as part of the BTTNH: CPLC programme. Medical students participated in an interview activity with an older adult from the aged care facility. A survey was administered to evaluate medical students' experience of the structured clinical visit to a residential aged care facility. Residential aged care environments can provide valuable learning opportunities for health professional education RESULTS: Medical students valued the learning experience of interacting with older adults, observation of the residential aged care environment and learning about the needs of older adults living in residential aged care. CONCLUSIONS: Providing meaningful learning opportunities for medical students in residential aged care environments may contribute to a better understanding of residents, aged care environments, development of communication skills, professional role and clinical decision-making skills that are relevant for the care of older adults not only in aged care but also in other care settings