Factors influencing the decision to enter a geriatric fellowship program

The "specialty" of geriatrics is not a popular choice for graduates of internal medicine and family practice residencies. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that influence the decision of a primary care physician to enroll in a fellowship program in geriatrics. A questionnaire was mailed to all practicing primary care physicians (N = 1,012) in the state of Arizona (n = 1,011). Of the 1,011 physicians who were mailed questionnaires, 737 physicians returned the questionnaires for a response rate of 72.9%. Of these respondents, 242 (32.8%) stated they would consider entering a geriatric fellowship. The likelihood of entering a fellowship is strongly influenced by the duration of the fellowship with 81.8% rating the importance of the length of the fellowship. It is clear that recruiting fellows to enter a geriatric fellowship is difficult. The survey revealed that the length of the fellowship is an important factor in affecting the decision to enter such a fellowship in addition to the need for multiple track to geriatric medicine. The study sheds light on some factors which influence the decision to enter a geriatric fellowship. These factors need to be targeted, in any event, to improve the number of applicants in the future.