Who cares about care in nursing education?

Abstract

Many sources indicate that nurses have a negative view of work with ageing patients. Wide-spread stereotypes concerning old age no doubt exercise influences in the formation of nurses' attitudes. The research reported here suggests that nurses' negative attitudes towards the elderly are consolidated rather than dissolved in the course of their training. The reasons for this may not, in fact, lie in the nature of the gerontology components (small as they usually are) of the curriculum. Rather, the course (or the “professional socialisation” process) as a whole appears to carry messages that devalue personal care duties—contra the prestige of activities attached to all levels of medical technology. The ageing patient, often requiring much hands-on (the body) care is thus located well outside areas of work which are perceived by nurses to include clearly focused professional pathways.