Program Overview

Developed at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC), the Chief Resident Immersion Training (CRIT) program improves Chief Residents’ understanding of geriatrics principles and leadership and teaching skills. The program focuses on Chief Residents because of the key roles that they play in the quality of patient care; medical student and resident training; mediating between faculty, nursing staff, and residents; and communicating with patients and families.

The CRIT program fosters collaboration among disciplines in the management of medically complex older patients. Program participants include both Chief Residents and faculty responsible for residency training in surgical and medical specialties. The program brings these individuals together for an intensive two-day program focused on:

• incorporating geriatrics principles into Chief Resident teaching and administrative roles;
• developing Chief Resident teaching and leadership skills with a focus on the care of complex older patients;
• enhancing leadership and teaching skills that are necessary for a successful term as Chief Resident;
• enhancing Chief Residents' abilities to collaborate with other disciplines in the management of complex older patients;
• developing an achievable action project focused on a geriatrics care issue that the Chief Resident will carry out during his/her Chief Residency year.

Since its inception at BUMC in 2003, the CRIT program has been disseminated to 15 institutions nationwide.  The program has produced institution-wide cultural changes in residency training and collaborative geriatrics care across disciplines, and an increase in Chief Residents' geriatrics knowledge, confidence to teach geriatrics, and leadership skills.

The CRIT program is administered by the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs (ADGAP) in partnership with BUMC, with grants from the Hearst Foundations and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Program for Faculty Development to Advance Geriatrics Education (FD~AGE).