Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Los Angeles Jewish Home Team Up on New Residency Program

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Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Los Angeles Jewish Home Team Up on New Residency Program

Aug 18, 2021

A prescription for physician success when caring for seniors

Early in their careers, physicians receive training in a broad range of disciplines, from orthopedics and obstetrics to cardiac care, pulmonary medicine, and more. Yet, very few new physicians get hands-on experience learning to care for the special needs of seniors. A new collaboration between the Los Angeles Jewish Home and Cedars-Sinai seeks to change that, bringing seniors and medical residents together to reshape the future of leading-edge senior care.

On July 1, the Jewish Home became an affiliate institution for Internal Medicine residents at Cedars-Sinai. The partnership allows physicians in their third year of residency to spend one week rotating through a number of programs at the Jewish Home, with a particular focus on the Home's skilled nursing facilities, Brandman Centers for Senior Care, hospice, and psychiatric care.

All 26 of Cedars-Sinai's third-year internal medicine residents are scheduled to participate (one at a time), mentored by Jewish Home medical leadership as the residents hone their skills caring for the Home's diverse senior population.

"Young physicians have little, if any, experience learning about the care of patients in nursing homes, yet as doctors in a hospital they often transfer patients to these facilities," says Noah Marco, MD, the Jewish Home's chief medical officer. "This is a critical opportunity for them to find out about what makes a good transition from hospital to nursing home, and what happens when their patients arrive at their next destination."

As Dr. Marco points out, the program is also a boon for Jewish Home residents. "One of the greatest challenges we have as caregivers of the elderly is continuously finding new ways to give them a sense of purpose and to engage them mentally and physically," he says. "Our residents truly appreciate being able to advance the education of young physicians, sharing their wisdom and lived experience. For the medical residents, it's a privilege to interact with and learn from our seniors. It's really a wonderful thing for everyone."

The residents are licensed physicians in the state of California and meet all infection control standards, including required vaccinations. While at the Jewish Home, they will deepen their knowledge of the Home's systems-based practice, develop a strong understanding of the deep responsibilities and benefits of the care they prescribe, and gain experience coordinating care as a member of an interdisciplinary team. However, they will not write prescriptions or orders for Jewish Home residents, and they will be supervised by the Home's medical staff at all times.

"We are delighted to have teamed up with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to launch this initiative, which will help usher in a new era in medical education and, ultimately, improve the care seniors receive across our community or wherever these talented physicians may practice in the future," says Dale Surowitz, chief executive officer and president of the Jewish Home. "The Jewish Home and Cedars-Sinai both have long and distinguished histories in Los Angeles, and together we can reach new heights of success in supporting the seniors who rely on us for their care each and every day."

Cedars-Sinai leadership is grateful to the Jewish Home for providing Cedars-Sinai residents with such a tremendous opportunity to deepen their education.

"The internal medicine residency is thrilled to be partnering with the Los Angeles Jewish Home to enhance the educational experience of our residents around providing compassionate, holistic care for older patients," said Amanda Ewing, MD, FACP, director, Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Cedars-Sinai. "It is a privilege to have our residents be able to learn from the practitioners who are the experts in caring for our seniors."

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