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A concentrated gerontology course offered
early in the curriculum provides a home for this specialized
field of knowledge, and communicates to students that
learning to care for older adults is foundational to nursing.
It should be followed by planned integration that infuses
more complex gerontological nursing knowledge throughout
the curriculum. This new curriculum should be clearly
and succinctly written, so that new faculty can easily
adapt.
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We used the expert services of a professional
consultant, whose position was written into our grant.
She offered perspective that we lacked. She evaluated
our program, objective by objective, at both the beginning
and the end of our grant period, and pointed out the impressive
curricular improvements that we'd made happen during the
3 year time span.
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Improving student attitudes toward the
elderly is an essential component of gerontology nursing.
Ongoing integration slowly chips away at bad attitudes.
A focus on wellness also helps to rid students of the
negative attitudes about the elderly that they harbor.
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The gerontology course instructor must
be completely and totally passionate about gerontology
nursing. It must be what she "eats and breathes."
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