Author: Teresa M. Schicker, MPA
The Minnesota Association of Geriatrics Inspired Clinicians (MAGIC) 2022 Annual Conference will feature several experts in aging from the University of Minnesota. In addition, the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program is a sponsor of this year’s conference. The GWEP is excited to partner with MAGIC in our mutual quest to support clinicians and learners who care for older adults in Minnesota. From its inception, the Minnesota Northstar GWEP has recognized the importance of partnerships with Minnesota’s professional associations in aging, such as MAGIC and the Minnesota Gerontological Society. Collaboration with such organizations enables the Minnesota Northstar GWEP to reach out from the University to practicing professionals with its educational programs, materials and expertise.
A key part of this year’s GWEP participation in the MAGIC conference will occur during the James Pattee Leadership virtual session on the afternoon of November 3. This program has a theme of Interdisciplinary Care. The presentation will use materials from the GWEP Geriatric Case Competition and will share some exciting new self-learning modules hosted by GWEP.
Leaders from the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program will be presenting this session. Ed Ratner, MD, and Teresa Schicker, MPA, will provide an Introduction to a Geriatric Case Study from the GWEP Interprofessional Geriatrics Case Competition.
The Minnesota Northstar Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP) hosts the Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition each autumn, and the program is in its third year. The geriatric case each year is written and peer-reviewed by expert interprofessional faculty. The competition kicks off in September and offers graduate and undergraduate students a unique opportunity to develop interprofessional collaboration skills by working with a team to create a culturally responsive plan of care for a simulated, medically complex older adult. This friendly competition involves not only students from the University of Minnesota campuses, but those from St. Louis University and other Missouri schools. The competition culminates with the University of Minnesota’s top team competing against the winning team from St. Louis University’s GWEP. This year the case competition involves about 70 students and 50 faculty/community experts, all of whom have been invited to learn more about MAGIC and register for the conference.
Dr. Ratner, chairing this session, explains that “attendees will move beyond didactic learning about team work to small group practice in developing an interdisciplinary care plan, and then watching an exemplar of the students’ competition.”
Another part of this afternoon session is a review of a collection of online Geriatric Educational Resources created and curated by the Northstar GWEP, presented by Teresa Schicker.
The Geriatric Education Toolkits are a growing set of peer-reviewed toolkits that provide educators with interprofessional resources for teaching introductory aging content. This material is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate level learners. Each module includes a digital learning activity that introduces the topic to students. Each toolkit also contains teaching and learning activities and resources for instructors; faculty can select the activities that work best for their class. Most of the teaching and learning activities can be adapted for use in either online or face-to-face classes. From the six toolkits currently posted, the following three will be presented at the MAGIC conference by GWEP faculty members:
- Maximizing Mobility in Older Adults - Becky Olson-Kellogg, PT, DPT, GCS;
- What Matters - Ed Ratner, MD; and
- Medications Self-Management - Brian Isetts, PhD, RPh, BCPS (pre-recorded presentation).
During the in-person conference day on November 4, James Pacala, MD, MS, will present on The Future of Geriatrics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Pacala is a geriatrician, professor, and head of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is also program director of the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
Another GWEP-affiliated presentation that day will be by Paul Blom and Marsha Berry on LGBTQ Aging. Paul and Marsha will provide an overview of working with LGBTQ older patients. This session is made possible through a new collaborative project with the Minnesota Northstar GWEP and Rainbow Health Minnesota, which is designed to offer nursing students knowledge and experience in working with LGBTQ older adults. This project is led by Rajean P. Moone, PhD, LNHA, LALD, FGSA.
Dr. Moone, GWEP member and MAGIC Board member, noted, “LGBTQ older adults experience significant health disparities in comparison to their peers. We are excited to be able to bring this nationally recognized programing on LGBTQ aging to the MAGIC conference. Clinicians in geriatrics from across the state will be able to engage in this curriculum supported by the GWEP.”
Space is still available for attendance at one or both days of this conference. See: https://www.minnesotageriatrics.org/Annual-Conference
About the Minnesota Northstar GWEP
The purpose of the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program is to improve the health and healthcare of older adults across Minnesota. It is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the primary federal agency for improving health care for people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. The contents of this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The Minnesota Northstar GWEP is also supported by the Otto Bremer Trust, and the University of Minnesota Office of Academic Clinical Affairs. Questions about the MN GWEP can be addressed to [email protected].
About MAGIC
The Minnesota Association of Geriatrics Inspired Clinicians (MAGIC) is a membership organization whose purpose is to support its members as they advocate for and serve those with complex medical needs. Its predecessor organization, the Minnesota Medical Directors Association, was founded in 1978. MAGIC was created in 2017 as an organization with broader membership and in response to the changing paradigm of care for older, and medically complex, persons.