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Few Doctors, Nurses Get Special Training to Treat Elderly
Associated Press
October 25, 2005
Nurses get special training at the New Hampshire Technical Institute on caring for the elderly, but that isn't the norm across the country.
Teacher Karen Tetreault says she has taught courses on the special medical needs of older people for a decade. She tells her students to be aware of possible drug interactions, possible tight finances and to address older patients respectfully.
Tetreault says despite America's aging population, classes like hers are rare at nursing and medical schools. About one-third of the country's nursing schools and only 10 of its 125 medical schools require courses in geriatrics.
Dr. Stephen Bartels, a geriatrician at Dartmouth Medical School, says the field isn't lucrative since pay is often limited to low Medicare reimbursement levels. He says that isn't attractive to doctors leaving school with huge loans to repay.
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