Gerontological Nursing Content Research Articles

Gerontological Nursing Content in General Medical/Surgical Textbooks: WHERE IS IT?

To provide quality care to the rapidly growing aging population, nursing education will need to be transformed. Although several approaches will be used to meet this challenge, fundamental to most nursing programs is the use of a general medical/surgical nursing textbook. This article examines the quantity and quality of gerontological nursing content found in five general medical/surgical nursing textbooks published between 2009 and 2011. The analysis shows that gerontological nursing content is poorly covered and of low quality. The findings point to the need to work with publishers to improve the quality and depth of content related to care of older adults in nursing textbooks.

QUALITY CAREforOlder Adults:The NLN Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES) Project

There is a significant need to improve the amount and quality of gerontological nursing content in pre-licensure nursing programs in the United States.The National League for Nursing's Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES) project is designed to enhance gerontological nursing content in all pre-licensure nursing programs. Nurse educators can use the ACES framework to engage nursing students in studying the care of older adults through innovative and unique teaching/learning strategies, such as unfolding cases and simulation.The ACES framework, which includes the ACES Essential Knowledge Domains and Nursing Actions, is designed to enhance gerontological nursing content in pre-licensure nursing programs without adding additional content to curricula. Use of the ACES framework in pre-licensure nursing programs will help promote quality care of older adults in a variety of settings.

Responding to the Silver Tsunami with Progressive and Exciting Educational Initiatives

FOR MANY YEARS, GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING PROF E S S IONAL S HAVE BE EN TALKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING RISE IN THE OLDER ADULT POPULATION: BY THE YEAR THIS , BY THE TIME THAT.... WELL, THE SILVER TSUNAMI IS UPON US. The year 2011 saw the first baby boomer turn 65. While health promotion and disease prevention practices greatly impact the health of current and future older adults, it is estimated that more than 37 million people in this age group (60 percent) will manage one or more chronic conditions by 2030 (US Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2012). Healthy People 2020 established a national objective improve the health, function, and quality of life for older adults (DHHS, 2012). The question remains, Are we ready prepare a nursing workforce meet this objective? In order address this question, Ironside, Tagliareni, McLaughlin, King, and Mengel (2010), in conjunction with the American Association of Community Colleges, conducted a survey of 531 associate degree nursing programs. The results of their 2006-2007 survey indicated a need for faculty development prepare students manage the diverse and complex needs of older adults, with specific suggestions for geriatric content, resources, and clinical experiences. With only slightly more than half of baccalaureate programs surveyed offering a stand-alone geriatric course (Gilje, Lacey, & Moore, 2007), the ability meet the Healthy People 2020 objective is questionable. Lange et al. (2009), in considering remedies, stated that to allow nurses provide that produces the best possible outcomes, the latest evidence about best geriatric nursing practices needs be disseminated nurses who are practicing at the point of care (p. 372). To ensure that older individuals have the opportunity live as healthy a life as possible with the highest quality of life, we as nurse educators must prepare a workforce that is skilled and knowledgeable for the unique health needs of this population. This special issue of Nursing Education Perspectives offers nurse educators a glimpse at both current and future innovation in geriatric nursing education. The issue begins with an article on promoting Quality Care for Older Adults: The NLN Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES). A discussion of the state of gerontological nursing content in general medical/surgical textbooks follows, and provides a good state of the science in gerontological nursing education. The next article, which explores the literature regarding attitudes toward aging, offers recommendations that can be implemented in nursing schools throughout the world. Further in the issue, the article Healthy Ager presents a unique approach geriatric clinical education in the form of an interprofessional, service-learning, town and gown partnership. A step-by-step instruction guide the development of a highly successful externship program provide early exposure gerontological nursing is the next featured article in the issue. …

Mobilizing Gerontological Nursing Education

Capturing baccalaureate nursing student interest in gerontological nursing content can be challenging. Using technology, a joint project based on the Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC) modules produced podcasts focused on nine major topics of care for older adults: atypical presentation, cancer, critical thinking, dementia, diabetes, geriatric resources, heart disease, intensive care, and interdisciplinary teams. Each podcast lays a foundation of content for faculty to build on in the classroom and at the bedside.

Infusing gerontological nursing content into advanced practice nursing education

The inclusion of gerontology content in the nursing curriculum is paramount as our population of older adults grows. As one of 10 recipients of the John A. Hartford Foundation/AACN awards for Enhancing Gerontological and Geriatric Nursing Education for Advanced Practice Nursing Programs, we successfully integrated gerontological/ geriatric content throughout core courses for all concentrations taught at the master's level. The Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Competencies for Older Adult Care were used as a guide to integrate gerontological nursing content across the core courses. We present examples of content, strategies, and evaluation methods that demonstrate infusion of gerontology in a nursing theory course, research course, and healthcare law and policy course. Twenty-two of the competencies are addressed in these core courses and provide a foundation for further development in the support and specialty courses for the nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nursing administrator, nurse educator, and nurse anesthetist. We also present helpful Web-based resources for older adult care.

Education/Community Collaborations for Undergraduate Nursing Gerontological Clinical Experiences

In 2000, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing developed guidelines to help nurse educators incorporate gerontological nursing content into baccalaureate curricula. In 2001, the Hartford Foundation also provided grant monies to nursing programs to support gerontology curricular innovations and new clinical experiences. The funding allowed faculty to focus time, energy, and resources on gerontological nursing education. We, the authors, representing two funded schools of nursing, collaborated with community agencies to develop undergraduate gerontological clinical learning experiences and are encouraged by the results. This article describes the development of these collaborations and serves as a model for other schools of nursing. The education/community collaborations described here focus on clinical learning strategies, implementation activities, and outcomes/benefits of the experiences. Both educational programs had supportive administration, faculty willing to participate in curriculum change, organized plans to implement geriatric curricular enhancement, and long-standing community partnerships.

Improving Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Older Adults Through Innovative Educational Strategies

Our country's rapidly growing older adult population represents the core business of health care; however, few nurses are adequately prepared to care for their unique needs. This is caused, in part, by the limited attention paid by nursing educators to incorporating basic gerontological nursing principles into undergraduate programs. During the last 7 years, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, through the generous support of the John A. Hartford Foundation, has led several initiatives to improve gerontological nursing education in baccalaureate programs. This article describes innovative educational strategies successfully implemented by three nursing programs--New York University, Tuskegee University, and University of Rhode Island--to increase knowledge and improve attitudes of nursing students in caring for older adults. Successful strategies include a long-term care guide, a senior mentor experience, student assignments addressing diversity issues, student debates, critical reflective journalizing, and an evaluation tool for measuring student attitudes. These strategies are readily reproducible and assist faculty to easily integrate gerontological nursing content into the curriculum while simultaneously enhancing student attitudes and knowledge.

Gerontological nursing content in baccalaureate nursing programs: findings from a national survey.

Given the prevalence of elderly people in the health care system, it behooves the nursing community to assure that every nurse graduating from a baccalaureate nursing program has a defined level of competency in care of the elderly. To accomplish this, it is necessary to establish a baseline of the current status of geriatric content in the baccalaureate curriculum. This article provides such baseline data using the findings of a national study of geriatrics in baccalaureate nursing programs. The study, conducted in 1997, was distributed to the universe of baccalaureate nursing programs (n = 598). The findings are based on a respondent pool of 480 programs (80.3 per cent response rate). The survey covered a range of educational topics, including curriculum, content, faculty preparation, and how programs define their needs for further curriculum and faculty development. The data analysis included the identification of baccalaureate nursing programs with exemplary offerings in geriatric care. Finally, in the discussion section, recommendations are advanced for the full integration of geriatric content into baccalaureate nursing programs.

MODELS FOR CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION IN GERONTOLOGY

An overview of educational gerontology is presented, followed by development of models of continuing education in gerontological nursing and a review of continuing education in gerontological nursing in Canada. It is argued that first‐level nursing education cannot be expected to produce professionals with lifelong competency. Rather than having nurses and other health care professionals return to the university for continuing education, the teaching of university faculty should be extended into the clinical field. The preparation of a core interdisciplinary group not only in gerontological content but also in teaching techniques allows these models to be applied in settings where practitioners are both teachers and learners. Two ways of providing increased gerontological nursing content are described. The first model is a “Train the Trainer” series, and the second model describes the development of a learning package for education at a distance, that is, learning in the workplace. It includes a video and...

A SURVEY OF GERONTOLOGICAL CURRICULA IN CANADA: Generic Baccalaureate Nursing Programs

1. This study surveyed the status of gerontological curricula in the Canadian generic baccalaureate nursing programs--and the opinions of provincial "experts"--on the requirements of gerontological nursing to determine how nurses are or should be prepared to meet the health care needs of aging Canadians. 2. Questions were formulated to explore the following issues: nursing models used by the schools, faculty preparation, integration of gerontological nursing content, curriculum content, and gerontological clinical experiences required. 3. The study indicated the following: students were not introduced to a consistent philosophy of health for the older client in either the academic or clinical setting; 5% of the faculty had a master's or doctorate with a focus in gerontology; 2.5% of the students chose a gerontological nursing practicum in their last year; 69% of the 49 listed topics were taught in an integrated manner; and 7.4% of the clinical hours had a gerontological focus. 4. The experts recommended the following: 53% of the topics be integrated and that 47% of the topics be taught in a specific course; patient care problems and techniques receive more emphasis in the clinical area; 21% of the clinical hours concentrate on gerontological nursing; and clinical experiences occur in a variety of health care settings to illustrate the elderly's coping abilities to achieve a sense of well-being.

GERIATRIC NURSING: In the Baccalaureate Curriculum

Increased gerontological nursing content is needed in the curriculum of schools of nursing because of a dramatic increase in the number of older persons, many of whom will need specialized health care. A review of the gerontological nursing content in the current courses of a college of nursing led to specific recommendations for change and additions to the curriculum. A published list of suggested gerontological nursing content was used as a guide to determine which topics needed to be integrated into the curriculum. An ongoing evaluation of the curriculum is needed to determine the appropriateness of the content changes and to determine if students perform better as a result of these changes.

Essential Gerontological Content for the Associate Degree Nursing Curriculum A National Study

1. The growing number of associate degree registered nurses caring for the elderly underscores the need for gerontological nursing preparation within associate degree programs. 2. The curriculum content validity theory of Taba and Zoot requires content selection criteria to reflect the relationship of course content to program outcomes. 3. Appropriateness of gerontological content for associate degree nursing was defined by the five practice roles of the associate degree nurse. 4. Gerontological nursing content rated essential by nationwide panels of associate degree nursing educators and practicing nurses includes items within the areas of commonly encountered health problems, ethical issues, chronic illness, long-term care of older adults, and nursing process.

Using a Self-Care Framework for Continuing Education in Gerontological Nursing

Orem's (1985) Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (S-CDNT) was used as a framework for an 8-day continuing education course in gerontological nursing provided nine times throughout Missouri. Through the use of case studies, major elements of the theory were not only introduced, but also were related to practice by speakers who focused on self-care abilities and limitations, as well as self-care demands and agency. Evaluation data from each of the locations demonstrated a significant increase in participants' knowledge scores from pre- to posttest (p less than .0001) using the Sign Rank Test. Participants perceived a substantial increase in both knowledge of theory-based gerontological nursing and theory-based practice. Follow-up evaluations after 6 months suggested that the use of S-CDNT as a framework for gerontological nursing content had a lasting impact on the development of a strong nursing perspective and on more positive attitudes toward gerontological nursing.

Is Gerontological Nursing Included in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs?

There is a significant effort to include gerontological nursing in baccalaureate nursing programs, but there needs to be continuous evaluation as to the nature and extent of this content. The four stages of the Curriculum Process Model (directive, formative, functional, and evaluative) provide a logical and systematic approach for developing or revising a curriculum. Although the status of gerontological nursing content, faculty preparation, and clinical settings for gerontological experiences have improved, they still do not provide the necessary educational background for students.

Integration or separation gerontological nursing education?

Nursing educators have been slow in recognizing the need to include gerontological nursing content into the curricula. Questions over where or how to include content have not been previously addressed through research. This comparison study of two programs, one with a blocked curriculum and one with an integrated curriculum, found students from the former had significantly higher cognitive scores but not as positive attitudinal or choice to work with the elderly. The need for interested, knowledgeable faculty continues to be the more salient issue.