ABIM Geriatric Medicine study plan

Map normal age-related change in renal, hepatic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and central nervous system physiology, and state the prescribing or diagnostic implication of each

Contrast normal aging with disease for at least ten common findings, including systolic hypertension, reduced glomerular filtration, impaired glucose tolerance, and decreased lean body mass

Administer and score each core component of the comprehensive geriatric assessment, including ADL and IADL scales, gait and balance tests, cognitive screening, mood screening, and nutritional and social assessment

Calculate estimated creatinine clearance by Cockcroft-Gault and by CKD-EPI for five older-adult vignettes, and explain why the two estimates diverge and when each applies

Perform and document the Timed Up and Go, 30-second chair stand, and four-stage balance test, then interpret each result against published normative cutoffs

Classify gait patterns into parkinsonian, hemiplegic, ataxic, neuropathic, and fear-of-falling subtypes from written case descriptions, and name the confirmatory examination finding for each

Construct a differential for syncope and orthostatic hypotension in older adults and specify the first-line diagnostic test for each cause

Design a multifactorial fall-risk reduction plan for a recurrent faller, naming each modifiable risk factor targeted and the intervention matched to it

Justify referral to physical therapy, vision correction, podiatry, home safety evaluation, or geriatric psychiatry for a given fall presentation

Differentiate Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia by clinical signature, expected imaging, and typical course

Score and interpret the MoCA and MMSE in cases with limited education or sensory impairment, and state when scores must be adjusted or abandoned

Order and sequence the laboratory and imaging workup for reversible contributors to cognitive decline, and justify each test's yield

Compare cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine on indication, titration, adverse effects, drug interactions, and criteria for discontinuation

Counsel a family on driving, firearms, financial capacity, home safety, and advance planning at each dementia stage

Distinguish delirium from dementia and from depression using the Confusion Assessment Method, temporal course, and attentional testing

Identify the leading precipitating causes of delirium and order a targeted, non-reflexive workup for each

Assemble a nonpharmacologic delirium prevention bundle for hospitalized older adults, naming the specific intervention for orientation, sleep, mobility, hydration, and sensory aids

Select pharmacologic management for agitated delirium and justify drug choice, dose ceiling, route, and planned duration

Screen for late-life depression and suicide risk, and describe the evidence for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and electroconvulsive therapy in this population

Apply the Beers criteria and the STOPP/START criteria to a twelve-medication list and annotate every flagged drug with the specific recommendation

Explain how age-related change in absorption, distribution, first-pass metabolism, and renal clearance alters starting dose and dosing interval

Write a stepwise deprescribing and taper schedule for three commonly overused classes, including benzodiazepines, proton pump inhibitors, and anticholinergics

Detect prescribing cascades in a medication list and quantify anticholinergic burden using a published scoring instrument

Predict clinically important drug-drug and drug-disease interactions for older adults with chronic kidney disease, heart failure, or falls

Set individualized treatment targets for hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure in older adults using comorbidity, function, and life expectancy rather than age alone

Recognize atypical presentations of acute coronary syndrome, aortic stenosis, and arrhythmia in older adults and state the test that resolves the diagnosis

Classify urinary incontinence by subtype and select initial behavioral, pharmacologic, and referral management for each

Stage pressure injuries and specify offloading, nutrition, and wound care for each stage, while screening for hearing loss, vision loss, sleep disturbance, and elder mistreatment in the same encounter

Build a personalized preventive screening, bone health, and vaccination schedule for adults aged 65 to 85, adjusting each recommendation for comorbidity and life expectancy

Decide when to stop cancer screening by estimating time to benefit against remaining life expectancy, and defend the decision in writing

Identify the strongest readmission risk factors for an older adult and match each to a transitional care intervention

Compare the regulatory, staffing, and payment structure of skilled nursing facility, home care, assisted living, and PACE, and state which patient profile fits each

Apply medication reconciliation and advance care planning across care transitions, including the hospital-to-home handoff

Compare palliative care and hospice eligibility criteria and apply validated prognostic tools to estimate six-month prognosis

Prescribe for pain, dyspnea, nausea, and terminal secretions at end of life, naming drug, starting dose, route, and titration interval for each

Apply a structured capacity assessment and describe surrogate decision-making standards, including substituted judgment and best interests

Explain the legal and ethical boundaries of palliative sedation, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, and aid in dying as they apply to practice

Conduct a goals-of-care conversation using a structured framework and document it in a form another clinician could act on