Enhancing geriatric content in a baccalaureate nursing program

Abstract

As the United States population ages, it is important that nursing faculty adequately prepare undergraduate students to provide optimal nursing care for older adults. By 2030, estimates are that one in five Americans will be over the age of 65. Older adults often have complex health issues and use more health care resources than other age groups. Over the last 10 years, schools of nursing have been increasingly enhancing the gerontological content in their curricula. However, to ensure that nurses will have the specialized geriatric knowledge and skills to improve health outcomes, expansion and enhancement of geriatric curricula must be an ongoing process. This article presents information regarding the process that one university used to evaluate and revise its curriculum using geriatric competences and recommendations set forth by the Hartford Foundation and AACN.