Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Nov-Dec;21(6):385-94.
doi: 10.1177/1078390315617588. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

The Current State of U.S. Geropsychiatric Graduate Nursing Education: Results of the National Geropsychiatric Graduate Nursing Education Survey

Caroline E Stephens  1 , Melodee Harris  2 , Bill Buron  3
Affiliations

The Current State of U.S. Geropsychiatric Graduate Nursing Education: Results of the National Geropsychiatric Graduate Nursing Education Survey

Caroline E Stephens et al. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2015 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) must be prepared to care for the rapidly increasing numbers of older adults with mental health needs. All 363 graduate nursing programs in the United States were surveyed regarding the nature and extent of geropsychiatric nursing (GPN) content across program curricula and their perceptions of the influence that the APRN Consensus Model has exerted on preparing the next generation of APRNs to meet the growing needs of the older adult population. Of the 202 schools responding, 138 reported GPN content in one or more clinical programs, with the majority of content in non-PMHNP programs. Only 17 schools reported offering a GPN program, track, or minor. The majority of schools (n = 169) perceived that they were adequately well-prepared to meet the APRN Consensus Model's guidelines regarding inclusion of aging-related didactic and clinical educational experiences in all APRN education programs; nearly two thirds (n = 132) perceived a moderate to significant influence of the Consensus Model on institutional infusion of GPN into curricula. Compared with a similar survey 10 years ago, there was little change in the proportion of schools reporting GPN in clinical programs and few schools provide GPN programs, tracks, or minors. Implications for nursing education and practice are discussed.

Keywords: geropsychiatric nursing; graduate education; mental health; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. APRN Consensus Work Group & The National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Advisory Committee. (2008). Consensus model for APRN regulation: Licensure, accreditation, certification & education. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/Consensus_Model_for_APRN_Regulation_July_2008.pdf
    1. Bakerjian D (2008). Care of nursing home residents by advanced practice nurses: A review of the literature. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 1, 177–185. doi:10.3928/00220124-20091301-01 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bartels SJ (2003). Improving system of care for older adults with mental illness in the United States: Findings and recommendations for the President’s New FreedomCommission on Mental Health. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 11, 486–497. - PubMed
    1. Bartels SJ, & Naslund JA (2013). The underside of the silver tsunami: Older adults and mental health care. New England Journal of Medicine, 368, 493–496. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1211456 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Batchelor-Aselage M, DiMeglio B, Aaron CS, & Dugger R (2014). Infusing geropsychiatric nursing content into curricula: Challenges and solutions. Journal of Nursing Education, 53, 387–394. doi:10.3928/01484834-20140619-09 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms