The DO features UNECOM's 'Living by Learning' nursing home immersion program

The DO, an online news outlet of the American Osteopathic Association, on March 29, 2011 published a feature story on the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine's 'Learning by Living' program, which immerses medical students interested in geriatrics into nursing homes as residents for two weeks to get a patient's view of geriatric care. The story focused on UNECOM second-year medical student Matthew Sharbaugh, who spent 12 days as a resident of Old Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, Mass.

The “Learning by Living” project was designed and piloted by Marilyn Gugliucci, Ph.D, UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine director of geriatric education and research, in 2005.  Since that time, more than a dozen medical students have been “admitted” into nursing homes to live the life of an elder nursing home resident for two weeks – 24/7 – complete with a medical diagnosis and standard procedures of care.

Following his stay, Sharbaugh reflected that “A lot of times health care professionals view patients as merely a diagnosis. But there’s a whole life behind that condition. Providing good patient care involves a lot more than knowing the correct medicine to provide. It means making the effort to connect with every patient. If you have a stroke patient and all you see is the diagnosis, well, you might be missing the fact that this guy used to be a runner. And now, not being able to walk is about the worst thing that can happen to him. As that person’s physician, you need to be aware of that.”