Innovative Strategies for Incorporating Gerontology Into BSN Curricula

doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2006.01.006

Journal of Professional Nursing

Volume 22, Issue 2, March–April 2006, Pages 98-102

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2006.01.006 Get rights and content

To prepare nurses in providing competent care to older adults, schools of nursing at the Otterbein College and the Florida International University, supported by American Association of Colleges of Nursing/John A. Hartford Foundation, developed innovative strategies for incorporation of gerontological content into their BSN curricula. Both nursing programs integrated these innovative gerontological learning experiences into sophomore-, junior-, and senior-level baccalaureate courses; developed independent gerontology courses, including online courses; supported the development of faculty expertise and sensitivity in elder care; and established new and/or enhanced existing community partnerships. The program objectives, planning, and implementation procedures for each of the two schools evolved similarly. Faculty development strategies and examples of community and international partnerships are presented. Finally, lessons learned from the implementation of these projects and recommendations based on these initiatives are presented.

Section snippets

Gerontology Content Integrated Throughout the Curriculum

Faculty at the Otterbein College Department of Nursing integrated gerontological curricular changes throughout the baccalaureate curriculum. Toward this end, they incorporated use of their NEED (Nursing Education for Elders Demonstration) Project Curricular Model (Figure 1). The model outlines a curricular process that fosters improved attitudes and behaviors toward the elderly and enables students to provide age-appropriate care to elders.

In their first nursing course, sophomore-year students

Gerontology Content Integrated Throughout the Curriculum

In response to current trends and technologies in nursing and health care, faculty at the Florida International University (FIU) School of Nursing designed a full curriculum revision that included the integration of geriatric nursing content. The revised curriculum addresses the rapid growth in the older adult population, community-based health care, and the use of new technologies as they apply to nursing care.

Faculty reviewed the courses in their specialty areas and identified ways to

Faculty Development

At both institutions, the programs included faculty development activities. At an Otterbein College faculty retreat, faculty created a curriculum grid of baccalaureate gerontology content and identified strategies for incorporating gerontological learning activities. At a second retreat, faculty explored techniques for delivering culturally competent care to elderly members of the Appalachian culture.

FIU recruited an expert in geriatric nursing and curriculum development to lead a faculty

Recommendations

The following recommendations are presented to assist other schools that may attempt a gerontological curricular integration:

1.
A focus on the positive aspects of aging, such as grandparenting or older adults working as volunteers in the community, helps promote positive attitudes toward aging.
2.
Students must be prepared to work with older adults from diverse cultural populations and be able to provide culturally competent care for underserved and vulnerable populations, such as minorities,

Conclusion

These funded projects support the improvement of nurse preparation regarding older adult care. They demonstrate the need for focusing on both full integration of gerontological content across nursing curricula and creation of stand-alone courses relative to the unique needs of older adults (American Nurses Association, 1995). Student interaction with culturally diverse older adults across the wellness–illness continuum fosters positive attitudes about aging among students and faculty (Federal

Acknowledgments

The nursing faculty from Otterbein College and the FIU greatly appreciate the support provided by the AACN/John A. Hartford Foundation that enabled both schools to participate in these innovative projects.

References (5)

American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Older adults: Recommended baccalaureate competencies and curricular guidelines for geriatric nursing care
(2000)
End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Curriculum. (2000, Revised, 2003). Washington, DC: American...

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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The majority of articles were published in the United States (USA), followed by the United Kingdom (UK), and Canada. Study designs and article types varied considerably given the breadth of our search; therefore, we grouped the findings into three sub-types: (1) opinions, editorial pieces, reviews or clinical guidelines (n = 44) [ 10,23–65]; (2) studies investigating ageism in oncology (n = 35) including both qualitative (n = 3) and quantitative designs (n = 32); and (3) ageism interventions pre-licensure (n = 47) [66–112]and post-licensure (n = 5) [113–117] (See Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for article details). Narrative and tabular synthesis of our findings are presented below.
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We conducted a scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley and Levac methods and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We conducted an exhaustive multi-database search, screening 30,926 titles/abstracts. Following data abstraction, we conducted tabular, narrative, and textual synthesis.
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Concerns relating to ageism in cancer care are consistently described in the literature. Interventions exist to address ageism; however, none have been developed or tested in oncology settings. Addressing ageism in oncology will require integration of geriatric knowledge/interventions to address conscious and unconscious ageist attitudes impacting care and outcomes. Interventions hold promise if tailored for cancer care settings.
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The aim of this review was to examine the extent and nature of published literature on nurses' and nursing students' preparedness to care for older adults in lower and middle-income countries.
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Citation Excerpt :
Gerontological nursing education and clinical practice have been reported as factors that influence nursing students' attitudes toward older people (Evers et al., 2011; McKinley and Cowan, 2003; Rodgers and Jean, 2011; Runkawatt et al., 2013; Usta et al., 2012). For example, attitudes toward older people are positively correlated with attending a gerontological nursing course (Blais et al., 2006; Deschodt and Milisen, 2010; Gonçalves et al., 2011; Koh, 2012). In addition, several studies have concluded that gerontological programs or training courses can reduce negative attitudes and stereotypes of nursing students toward older people (Brown et al., 2008; Cozort, 2008; Holroyd et al., 2009; Neville and Dickie, 2014; Stevens, 2011; Tullo et al., 2010).
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The population aged 65 years old and above is expected to dramatically increase annually in Taiwan. Health care professionals need to be prepared to better serve the aged and disabled population. The purpose of this study is to survey Taiwan's current Geriatric Nursing (GN) or Long Term Care (LTC) courses offered in baccalaureate nursing programs.
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Original ArticleBaccalaureate CurriculaInnovative Strategies for Incorporating Gerontology Into BSN Curricula

Section snippets

Gerontology Content Integrated Throughout the Curriculum

Gerontology Content Integrated Throughout the Curriculum

Faculty Development

Recommendations

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Older adults: Recommended baccalaureate competencies and curricular guidelines for geriatric nursing care

Original Article
Baccalaureate Curricula
Innovative Strategies for Incorporating Gerontology Into BSN Curricula