Enhanced Skills Program: Care of the Elderly Emergency Rotation Goals and Objectives
By the end of the rotation, the resident will be able to:
Medical Expert
- Performs a rapid, highly focused geriatric assessment, including all parameters appropriate to the acute care setting.
- Demonstrates comprehensive assessment and management of common and complex geriatric syndromes frequently seen in the emergency department (i.e. falls, dementia, delirium, incontinence, constipation, generalized weakness, frailty).
- Identifies relevant priorities for management based on the patient’s perspective, urgency and context.
- Diagnoses delirium, formulate a differential for potential causes and develops initial plans for evaluation and management.
- Identifies and participates in efforts to reduce potential hazards of hospitalization (i.e. delirium, falls, immobility, pressure ulcers, medication-related adverse effects).
- Demonstrate an organized approach to the patient who has fallen, including the ability to identify precipitating causes, focused physical examination, appropriate investigations and management plan.
Communicator
- Develops rapport, trust and ethical therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
Collaborator
- Accurately elicits and synthesizes information from, and perspectives of, colleagues, community practitioners, pharmacists, long-term care staff, CCAC staff, paramedics and other professionals.
- Participates in a collaborative inter-professional emergency department team.
- Understands, recognizes and respects the diversity of roles, responsibilities and competencies of other professionals in relation to their own. Respects differences, misunderstandings and limitations in oneself and other professionals.
- Work with others to assess, plan, provide and integrate care for complex patients presenting in the emergency department.
- Maintains a positive working environment with consulting health professionals, health care team members, and community agencies.
- Engages patients and their families as active participants in their care.
Leader
- Makes cost-effective use of health care resources based on sound judgement, balancing resources to maximize benefits to all patients, including managing patient flow.
- Effectively contributes to the health care team; delegates and distributes tasks fairly; uses time wisely.
- Demonstrates time management skills to reflect and balance priorities for patient care, sustainable practice, and personal life.
Health Advocate
- Respond to individual patient health needs and issues as part of patient care. Advocates for individual patients around relevant health matters that arise in the emergency department.
Scholar
- Critically evaluates medical information, its sources and its relevance to their practice and apply this information to practice decisions in the care of elderly in the emergency department.
Professional
- Demonstrates a commitment to reflective practice (personal performance, knowing limits, awareness of self, reflect on practice events).