How To Be A Geriatric Nurse

Transcription

1 Awards for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing 2006 Models of Excellence

2 2006 Awards For Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing Purpose: To provide models of excellence that encourage the highest standards of gerontologic nursing education. To provide national recognition to those eligible schools or programs of nursing that exhibit an exceptional, substantive, and innovative baccalaureate curriculum in gerontologic nursing education. Awards: Geriatric Faculty Member Award Infusing Geriatrics into the Nursing Curriculum Award Stand-Alone Geriatric Course Award Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award Eligibility: Schools and programs of nursing that lead to a baccalaureate degree and offer a strong curriculum in gerontologic nursing are encouraged to apply. Reviewers will be looking for small, innovative programs, as well as larger, well-established curricula that can be showcased as proven models of excellence. Selection Criteria: Innovation of approach to gerontologic nursing education Demonstrated relevance in the clinical environment Replication for other schools/programs of nursing

3 Specific Selection Criteria Each Award GERIATRIC FACULTY MEMBER AWARD: Awarded to an individual faculty member involved in the teaching and/or design of geriatric curriculum or course content that: Demonstrates knowledge of geriatric nursing Encourages and inspires nursing students to further their studies in geriatric nursing, and seek Certification as a Gerontological Nurse Encourages and inspires nursing students to pursue a career in care for older adults INFUSING GERIATRICS INTO NURSING CURRICULUM AWARD: Awarded to a baccalaureate nursing curriculum that: Exhibits a substantive and/or innovative baccalaureate curriculum in geriatric nursing that includes healthy aging Includes key clinical information and issues central to caring for the highly specialized needs of older adults STAND-ALONE GERIATRIC COURSE AWARD: Awarded to a baccalaureate nursing stand-alone course that: Exhibits substantive and/or innovative baccalaureate curriculum in geriatric nursing that includes healthy aging Includes key clinical information and issues central to caring for the highly specialized needs of older adults CLINICAL SETTINGS IN GERIATRIC NURSING AWARD: Awarded to a baccalaureate program for innovative use of clinical settings that: Enhances the baccalaureate curriculum in geriatric nursing and encourages and inspires students to pursue a career in care for older adults Demonstrates true and innovative partnerships with clinical and community agencies or organizations Awards: $500 Showcase: Presentation at the AACN national meeting Curriculum summarized and distributed to nursing programs nationwide Involvement in Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing curriculum initiatives Summarized on Hartford Institute website:

4 2006 Awardees for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing Geriatric Faculty Member Award Christine A. Mueller, PhD, RN, C, CNAA University of Minnesota Infusing Geriatrics into the Curriculum Award Old Dominion University Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Geriatric Course Award Johns Hopkins University

5 Awards for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing 2005 Awards Geriatric Faculty Member: Virginia Burggraf, RN, DNS, FAAN, Radford University Infusing Geriatrics into Curriculum: Fairfield University Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing: Grand Valley State University Stand-alone Baccalaureate Nursing Course: Hawaii Pacific University Wright State University (honorable mention) 2004 Awards Geriatric Faculty Member: Dr. Beth Barba, PhD, RN, University of North Carolina Greensboro Infusing Geriatrics into Curriculum: Valparaiso University College of Nursing Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing: St. Cloud State University Department of Nursing Science Stand-alone Baccalaureate Nursing Course: Duke University School of Nursing University of Rhode Island College of Nursing 2003 Awards Geriatric Faculty Member: Dr. Theris Touhy, Florida Atlantic University Infusing Geriatrics into Curriculum: Biola University Department of Baccalaureate Nursing New York University, The Steinhardt School of Education, Division of Nursing Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing Stand-alone Baccalaureate Nursing Course: University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing 2002 Awards First Place: Texas Tech University Health Science Center Second Place: University Iowa College of Nursing Honorable Mention: Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing

6 2001 Awards First Place: The Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing Second Place: University of the Virgin Islands Honorable Mention: Wilkes University Department of Nursing 2000 Awards First Place: The Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing Second Place: University of Nebraska Medical Center - College of Nursing Honorable Mentions:* Sacred Heart University-Nursing Programs and Physical Therapy Program (Connecticut) Winston-Salem State University-School of Health Sciences Department of Nursing (North Carolina) 1999 Awards First Place: University of Akron, College of Nursing (Ohio) Second Place:* University of Maryland, School of Nursing University of North Carolina Greensboro, School of Nursing Honorable Mentions:* San Diego State University, School of Nursing University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing 1998 Awards First Place: Minnesota State University, Mankato School of Nursing Second Place:* University of Alabama in Huntsville College of Nursing University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Eleanor Mann School of Nursing University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Honorable Mentions:* Quinnipiac College Department of Nursing Radford University School of Nursing -- Waldron College of Health and Human Services *Listed in alphabetical order All Previous Awardee Summaries are available on the Hartford Institute web site at:

7 Common Elements of Baccalaureate Curriculum Models of Excellence 1. Free-standing courses 2. Multiple clinical sites 3. Creative uses of clinical sites 4. Experiential teaching techniques in classroom and clinical settings 5. Partnerships with community resources 6. Faculty knowledgeable and committed in geriatric nursing care 7. Integration of gerontological experiences into overall curriculum

8 2006 Geriatric Faculty Member Award Christine A. Mueller, PhD, RN, C, CNAA University of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, Minnesota Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean Christine A. Mueller, PhD, RN, C, CNAA, Associate Professor Phone: (612) Fax: (612) Knowledge of Geriatric Nursing. Dr. Christine A. Mueller, associate professor in the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, is nationally and internationally recognized for leadership in gerontological nursing education and research to improve the quality of care in long-term care facilities. She has devoted her entire 32-year career to gerontological nursing, serving as clinician, administrator, researcher, consultant, and educator. ANCC-certified in gerontological nursing and nursing administration, Dr. Mueller was recently designated as one of the few mentor appraisers in the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program. She has published extensively and given numerous presentations extending scientific knowledge in her specialty areas. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing and is a reviewer for The Gerontologist, Geriatric Nursing, and the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Mueller is chair for the newly created Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative, coordinator of Gerontological Nursing Education, and interim coordinator of the GNP/GCNS (Geriatric Nurse Practitioner/Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist) areas. She also serves on the Center for Gerontological Nursing s executive committee. Dr. Mueller has promoted the innovative expansion and integration of gerontological nursing in undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula. She directs the GNP/GCNS scholarship program funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), securing community co-sponsors and serving as an advisor for 20 students. Her Faculty Teaching Resources website provides links to information on 38 topics of relevance to nursing care of older adults and her website on Long-term Care Nursing Leadership/Management provides extensive resources to promote best practices for nurse leaders in nursing homes. She is leading the development of a nursing clinic in senior housing for diverse older adults that will offer an innovative wellness program and serve as a site for faculty practice and student practica. Fostering Students to Further Their Studies in Geriatric Nursing. A favorite of students and an inspiring role model to students, faculty, and clinicians alike, Dr. Mueller received the 2005 Minnesota Association of Colleges of Nursing Nurse Educator of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding contributions. Beginning in 2003, Dr. Mueller championed the inclusion of a required undergraduate course in nursing care of older adults in the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. The course she developed, Care of Older Adults, demonstrates the rewards of elder care, countering the negative cultural impressions that many young students have absorbed and encouraging them to consider a focus in geriatric nursing. In addition, Dr. Mueller provides one-on-one mentorship of undergraduate nursing students and meets with post-baccalaureate nursing students each year regarding careers in gerontological nursing. Moreover, she includes undergraduate and graduate students in her research projects related to nurse staffing, quality of care, and care delivery systems in long-term care facilities. Previously, as principal investigator on a grant from PHS/DHHS during , Dr. Mueller developed new clinical education

9 site models in acute, community-based, and nursing home care at Old Dominion University, while revising the university s undergraduate nursing curricula integrate gerontological concerns and practices. Next, as a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, she developed a curriculum for long-term care nursing management in the graduate program. From 1994 to 1999, she coordinated two statewide programs funded by the State of Minnesota and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that promoted training partnerships for advanced practice nurses meeting the health care needs of citizens of rural and underserved communities. At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Mueller motivates students to apply to the GNP/GCNS program the largest in the nation, and as project director of the Creating Careers in Geriatric Nursing funding by JAHF, she serves as academic advisor for 20 students. Dr. Mueller strongly encourages faculty to participate in the gerontological nursing faculty development program. She has organized the Minnesota Gerontological Nursing Faculty Consortium. Her ideas have successfully led to partnerships with colleagues, clinicians, and community organizations, and she fosters the group problem-solving process while modeling individual responsibility and commitment.

10 2006 Infusing Geriatrics in Nursing Curriculum Award Old Dominion University School of Nursing Norfolk, Virginia Karen Karlowicz, EdD, RN Phone: (757) Fax: (757) Abstract: The infusion of geriatrics into the baccalaureate nursing curriculum at Old Dominion University utilizes a model that anchors geriatric content in two anchor courses at the beginning and end of the curriculum. Information emphasizes healthy aging and health promotion across the continuum of older adulthood. The primary objective is for students to acknowledge older adults as a unique, and often vulnerable, segment of our population for whom nursing intervention can make a significant impact in promoting health care practices that support long-term functional independence. A variety of innovative experiential learning activities is used to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and exposure to behaviors and attitudes regarding older adults and aging. Students interact with older adult clients not just in the acute-care or long-term care environments, but also in wellness-focused environments such as rehabilitation, home, and community settings. Upon completion of the program, students are able to demonstrate the competencies necessary to compassionately provide quality care to older adults and their families while serving as resources for other health providers and seniors in the community. Significance. The infusion of geriatrics into the baccalaureate nursing curriculum has shown students that there is much more to know about older adults than the illnesses and injuries we tend to associate with aging. Experiences within the curriculum provide students, who have had little previous exposure to older adults, opportunities to interact with them. Comments from student evaluations over the last decade suggest that this material has had a positive impact on their perceptions of older adults and has made a difference in their ability to provide care. The Curriculum. Baccalaureate nursing students are introduced in the first semester of sophomore year to issues of aging and the needs of the older adult in a stand-alone course called Nursing and the Gerontological Client. This course addresses unique concerns and needs as well as the nursing management of the old adult client to promote functional independence or dependence with support and dignity. The course addresses standards of gerontological nursing practice, myths and attitudes toward aging, demographic trends and theories of aging, legal and ethical issues, diverse settings such as community and long-term options, nursing assessment, and numerous areas of clinical content including sensory, musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychological issues. Experiential activities help students develop ease in working with older adults. In one activity, for example, students interview two older adults who reside in the community. A facility visit familiarizes students with community housing resources for older adults. The second geriatric anchor course, Nursing Process in Rehabilitation, offered in the last semester of senior year, emphasizes a collaborative team approach to helping older adults with disabilities to restore maximum levels of function or prevent further functional dependence. It addresses alterations in cognitive abilities, alterations in mobility, incontinence, sexuality, and other issues. Students have clinical experiences in an acute rehabilitation facility, a cardiac rehabilitation clinic, a prosthetic clinic, and a camp for brain-injured adults. In a disability-

11 accessibility activity, students gain empathy for the disabled, older adult client by engaging in a project where they take turns assuming the role of an older adult and his or her caregiver. Among the tasks, students must wear an adult disposable incontinence product for 6 hours in the last half hour it must be worn wet creating a powerful understanding of urinary incontinence. Additional geriatric content is threaded extensively throughout numerous courses in the curriculum. Innovation. The strength of this curriculum lies in the anchored content at the beginning and end of the program and in a variety of experiential learning activities. Actual, simulated, and virtual experiences are interspersed throughout the six-semester program to give students multiple opportunities to reflect on their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding geriatric issues, and to consider the impact of the learning experiences on their own nursing practice. Ease of Replication. This model is a cost-effective and flexible approach that could be easily adapted within a nursing curriculum. The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing 2000 Curriculum Guidelines validates content of this curriculum that has evolved over the past decade. At Old Dominion, the model has been supported by the inclusion of geriatricspecific courses that serve as the framework for other content introduced into courses of all levels. The academic culture must support ongoing course review and revision to facilitate the inclusion of geriatric-specific content, and an environment must be developed in which faculty creativity is encouraged to promote the development of innovative, experiential learning activities that socialize students to the issues of aging.

12 2006 Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award Sinclair School of Nursing University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri Rosemary T. Porter, PhD, RN, Dean Myra A. Aud, PhD, RN, Faculty Contact Phone: (573) Fax: (573) Significance. The gerontological nursing care course at MUSSON utilizes six clinical settings spanning the continuum of care. Expanding clinical experiences beyond nursing homes acknowledges the 95% of older adults who are not in residential long-term care facilities. The majority of older adults live in the community in homes or apartments, with family members, or in retirement communities. A growing number reside in assisted living facilities. Students in the stand-alone gerontological nursing course have clinical experiences in a 132-bed skilled nursing facility, the distinct dementia-care unit at that facility, a home health agency, an adult day care center, and a retirement community. The design of the gerontological course, as supported by AACN and The John A. Hartford Foundation, includes evaluation based on six semesters of pretest and posttest scores for two variables: geriatric nursing knowledge and attitudes on aging. Students who took the course showed a modest improvement in geriatric nursing knowledge, and end-of-semester evaluation forms reflected changes in attitude toward greater comfort working with older adults. Objectives. The course emphasizes normal aging processes, health promotion, disease prevention, and management of acute and chronic health problems in the older adult. Course objectives related to performance in clinical settings include: assessment of functional and cognitive status, assessment and comparison of living environments of older adults and analysis of the effectiveness of community resources; demonstration of appropriate communication skills with older adults; and participation with interdisciplinary team members to assess and manage care for older adults. Description. The stand-alone gerontological nursing course provides state-of-the science content to supplement the more general content of the two Nursing of Adults courses. It is a grand tour of gerontological topics with emphasis on the special needs of older adults, chronic health problems exacerbated by aging, and the increased risk of acute health care episodes experienced by many older adults. In the clinical experiences, compressed into seven clinical days, students meet older adults and health care providers and see the nursing process in action in a skilled nursing facility (where half the time is spent), a home health agency, an adult day care center, two dementia special care units, and a retirement community. In the skilled nursing facility, for example, students follow one resident for four consecutive weeks, utilizing structured assessment tools to assess activities of daily living, cognition, depression, pressure ulcer risk, fall risk, and so on. Assignments encourage critical thinking about the needs of older adults. Rather than accepting symptoms as routine signs of aging, students are encouraged to identify markers of acute illness requiring urgent intervention or as indicators of exacerbation of chronic conditions. Innovation and Relevance in Clinical Environment. The major innovation in the clinical component of this gerontological nursing course is extending the clinical experience beyond the

13 nursing home setting to four additional sites that are innovative in themselves. Dementia-specific assisted living facilities, for example, are rare in Missouri. Both the home care agency and retirement community have research missions and special links to the MU School of Nursing. Relevance in the diverse clinical settings used in the gerontological nursing care course is achieved by collaboration with clinical-setting staff, who are considered partners in the education of the students. Ease of Replication. Replication of the diverse clinical sites used in the course should be feasible for other schools of nursing but depends on finding committed partners. Although the links between clinical settings and the University of Missouri School of Nursing have facilitated their use as clinical sites, such linkages are not essential. Finding a skilled nursing facility should be the easiest element to replicate, with selection criteria including favorable state and federal survey results, good local reputation, sufficient size to provide a variety of participating residents, and support of the administrator and nursing staff.

14 2006 Stand-Alone Geriatric Nursing Course Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Baltimore, Maryland Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean Linda Rose, PhD, RN, Director, Baccalaureate Program Phone: (410) Fax: (410) Elizabeth Tanner, PhD, RN Phone: (410) Fax: (410) Abstract. Issues in Aging is a required stand-alone class designed to introduce the beginning nursing student to the healthy aging process and to facilitate positive attitudes toward aging. It was developed in response to society s growing need to address the health care needs of an aging population and was predicated on the belief of the faculty that the normal aging process was poorly understood by students who were then reluctant to work with older patients. The beginning nursing student learns about aging demographics, views of aging, myths and stereotypes, theories of aging, common age-related changes, and promotion of the health of older adults across the continuum. Observational experiences in community settings are provided. Significance. This course addresses an urgent need for a substantive focus on the health care needs of a growing segment of the population. It provides essential content and a foundational learning experience that positively impacts all of the nursing course content that follows it. Equally important, the course provides students with a forum to explore their own values, prejudices, and sometimes erroneous conclusions about the aging process. Course participation has stimulated student interest in careers that involve working with older adults, has led to the development of a student-run geriatric interest group, and has led to an interest in pursuing graduate GNP/GCNS education. Most importantly, many of the students who complete this course are able to view older adults positively as a benefit to society rather than a deficit. Description. Issues in Aging is a two-credit theory course taken in the first semester of the curriculum. It provides essential information that is then integrated into clinical courses being taught concurrently. Course content is organized into three units: 1) overview of the trends in aging and the role of nursing in geriatrics and gerontology; 2) phenomenon of aging and geriatric conditions and problems; 3) issues impacting the promotion of health, safety, and quality of life among older adults across the continuum of care. Current and contemporary issues are discussed, including elder abuse, end-of-life issues, poly-pharmacy, and depression. A particular emphasis is the emic perspective older adults definitions of health and the need for culturally competent communication. Innovation. The course uses several innovative approaches. Most notably, the guided interview with an older adult gives the students a real-world perspective on the experiences of older adults and affords the students the opportunity to engage a healthy adult in meaningful dialogue, shattering preconceived myths of aging. In addition, a geriatric course positioned at the beginning of a student s education rather than at the end allows for growth and commitment to the field of geriatrics. Relevance. The course was developed as a direct result of a year-and-a-half curriculum-review

15 process, during which documents related to the emerging health needs of the nation and particularly the projected growth the older-adult population were carefully reviewed. The school also identified the shifting emphasis in health care from predominately hospital based to a more community-based approach to parallel health care trends and health promotion needs of society. The course coordinator, Dr. Elizabeth Tanner, is a well-known researcher in gerontology and has been integral to the process of linking course content to other nursing courses in the curriculum. Ease of Replication. All course materials are available online through the course website. Topics lend themselves to a multidisciplinary approach, with the current course utilizing experts in the field of public health and researchers in the field of gerontology. Lively discussions among nursing students in the classroom with members of other disciplines who work in the field of geriatrics/gerontology are a cornerstone of this course. Most importantly, the interaction between older adults in the city of Baltimore and the students has been deeply appreciated on many levels. This model of incorporating educational strategies into citywide programs geared to older adults is a successful model that can be replicated in other schools of nursing.

16 The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for America's baccalaureate and higher-degree nursing education programs. American Association of Colleges of Nursing One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530 Washington, DC Phone: (202) Fax: (202) The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing seeks to shape the quality of health care older Americans receive by promoting the highest level of geriatric competence in all nurses. By raising the standards of nursing care, the Hartford Institute aims to ensure that people age with optimal function, comfort and dignity. The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing New York University, College of Nursing 246 Greene Street New York, NY Phone: (212) Fax: (212) Generously supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc. of NY