Additional Information
As with any medical specialty, it takes years to become a geriatrician.
First you have to complete an undergraduate degree and get accepted into medical
school. Then there's specialty training and an internship. You can expect
to spend about eight to 10 years in school.
Dr. Robert Stall suggests that people interested in this career avoid doing
volunteer work at the local long-term care facility.
"Long-term care might turn people off," he says. "It doesn't reflect the
majority of what's going on out there. The majority of elderly people aren't
at nursing homes."
Instead, Stall suggests would-be students spend some time observing the
elderly in various settings -- the local coffee shop where people gather for
their morning chat, a park or golf course. Even time spent with elderly relatives
will give you a better handle on what it means to be old.
While you certainly must keep your sciences up, it's not unheard of for
people with unrelated degrees to later become geriatricians. Stall qualified
as an engineer before he decided to go into medicine and ultimately geriatrics.
"A different major in college can be helpful," he says. "Any background
that fosters an ability to look at root causes helps."