The AAGP Scholars Program: Predictors of Pursuing Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Training

• Published in: The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2021-04, Vol.29 (4), p.365-374
• Main Authors: Conroy, Michelle L., Yarns, Brandon C., Wilkins, Kirsten M., Lane, Chadrick E., Zdanys, Kristina F., Pietrzak, Robert H., Forester, Brent P., Kirwin, Paul D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: fellowship training; Geriatric psychiatry; Geriatric psychology; medical education; recruitment; Scholarships & fellowships
• ISSN: 1064-7481; 1545-7214
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.07.012

•What is the primary question addressed by this study? This study analyzes survey data from Scholars Program participants (2010–2018) to identify demographic characteristics, attitudes toward components of the Scholars Program, and behaviors after the program that were independently associated with the decision to pursue fellowship training in geriatric psychiatry.•What is the main finding of the study? Rating the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Scholars Program as important for meeting potential collaborators, maintaining AAGP membership and attending a subsequent AAGP annual meeting were all associated with the decision to pursue fellowship in our final model.•What is the meaning of the finding? The AAGP Scholars Program plays a role in recruiting trainees into the field of geriatric psychiatry. The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Scholars Program was developed to recruit trainees into geriatric psychiatry fellowships and is considered a pipeline for fellowship recruitment. Nonetheless, the number of trainees entering geriatric psychiatry fellowship is declining, making it important to identify modifiable factors that may influence trainees’ decisions to pursue fellowship. We analyzed survey data from Scholars Program participants to identify demographic characteristics, attitudes toward program components, and behaviors after the program that were independently associated with the decision to pursue fellowship. Web-based surveys were distributed to all 289 former Scholars participants (2010–2018), whether or not they had completed geriatric psychiatry fellowships. We conducted a hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis to examine demographics, program components, and behaviors after the program associated with deciding to pursue geriatric psychiatry fellowship. Sixty-one percent of Scholars decided to pursue geriatric psychiatry fellowship. Attending more than one AAGP annual meeting (relative variance explained [RVE] = 34.2%), maintaining membership in the AAGP (RVE = 28.2%), and rating the Scholars Program as important for meeting potential collaborators (RVE = 26.6%) explained the vast majority of variance in the decision to pursue geriatric psychiatry fellowship. Nearly two-thirds of Scholars Program participants decided to pursue geriatric psychiatry fellowship, suggesting the existing program is an effective fellowship recruitment pipeline. Moreover, greater involvement in the AAGP longitudinally m