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AACN and the Hartford Institute
Present the 2004 Awards for Excellence in
Geriatric Nursing Education
WASHINGTON, D.C., December
7, 2004 -- The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric
Nursing, in collaboration with the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing (AACN), is pleased to announce the winners
of the 2004 Awards for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric
Nursing. Presented at AACN's fall meeting, awards were given
to five schools of nursing this year: Duke University (NC),
Saint Cloud State University (MN), University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, University of Rhode Island, and Valparaiso
University (IN).
"Providing high quality care to our nation's
aging population is a great concern to all registered nurses,"
said AACN President Jean E. Bartels, PhD, RN. "AACN is
proud to recognize five schools of nursing whose work to strengthen
the geriatric nursing content in their baccalaureate programs
is leading to improved patient care for senior adults in their
communities."
Now in its seventh year, this national awards
program was created to recognize model nursing education programs
with a strong focus on gerontological nursing. Presented jointly
by AACN and the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing which
is housed at New York University, awards are given to nursing
programs that exhibit exceptional, substantive, and innovative
baccalaureate curriculum in this subject area. Beyond innovation,
programs must also demonstrate relevance in the clinical environment
and have the ability to be replicated at schools of nursing
across the country.
Awards were presented in four separate categories
to the following institutions:
- Outstanding Faculty Member in Gerontological
Nursing Education Award
Beth Barba, PhD, RN, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Infusing Geriatrics into the Curriculum
Award
Valparaiso University (IN)
- Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award
St. Cloud State University (MN)
- Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Geriatric Course
Award
Duke University and University of Rhode Island
"AACN is delighted to join with the Hartford
Institute in honoring this year's curriculum leaders and sharing
their examples with the world," added Dr. Bartels. "With
an eye toward improving patient care, we are hopeful that
the trailblazing work underway at these institutions will
be duplicated at nursing schools nationwide."
Curricula and geriatric care models advanced by the 2004 winners
have been summarized and distributed to all baccalaureate
nursing programs. Winning abstracts are also available online
at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/04HartfordWinnersBooklet.pdf.
For an application for the 2005 awards competition, contact
the Hartford Institute at (212) 998-5568 or visit their Web
site at http://www.hartfordign.org.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is
the national voice for university and four-year college education
programs in nursing. Representing 575 member schools of nursing
at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational,
research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications,
and other programs work to establish quality standards for
bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist
deans and directors to implement those standards, influence
the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote
public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education,
research, and practice. www.aacn.nche.edu
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing,
proudly housed at the Division of Nursing, The Steinhardt
School of Education of New York University, 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 Hartford Institute identifies and develops
best practices in nursing care of older adults and infuses
these practices into the education of every nursing student
and the work environment of every practicing professional
nurse. The Hartford Institute encourages national leadership
to establish best practice as the standard for geriatric nursing
care. www.hartfordign.org.
Profile
of the 2004 Award Winners
2004 Outstanding Faculty Member in Gerontological
Nursing Award
Beth Barba, PhD, RN, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Profile. Dr. Beth Barba is a leader
in the School of Nursing who has taught gerontology courses
for 14 years at the baccalaureate and master's levels. She
facilitated the incorporation of geriatric nursing into courses
throughout the undergraduate and graduate curricula, including
a focus on meeting the needs of grandparents in pediatrics
and obstetrics. As a result of her tireless leadership through
the AACN/Hartford Foundation curriculum award, the baccalaureate
curriculum is now a model for preparing students to comprehensively
address the needs of older adults through provision of age
appropriate nursing care. Dr. Barba is passionate about the
care of older adults and communicates that enthusiasm to students,
practicing nurses and faculty members. She currently conducts
research on nursing home residents, companion animals and
environmental changes, and serves as manuscript reviewer for
scholarly journals. Dr. Barba is the principal investigator
for a Comprehensive Geriatric Education Project through HRSA
to enhance the geriatric nursing workforce by improving access
to geriatric education programs to nurses throughout North
Carolina.
2004 Infusing Geriatrics into the Curriculum
Award
Valparaiso University (IN)
Kristen L. Mauk, PhD, RN, CRRN-A, APRN, BC
Janet M. Brown, PhD, RN, Professor and Dean, College of Nursing
Abstract. Over the past two years, Valparaiso
University College of Nursing (VU CON) has undertaken a systematic
enhancement of geriatrics across the curriculum during a uniquely
challenging time of transition. As a new community-based curricular
model is implemented, the goal of the VU CON initiative is
three-fold: 1) increase the amount and quality of exposure
of students to geriatrics in current courses; 2) promote geriatric
content during the development of new courses and syllabi;
and 3) continue to promote healthy aging while emphasizing
the principles of gerontological rehabilitation nursing for
older adults with chronic health alterations. To accomplish
these goals, gerontological nursing content in the curriculum
was mapped according to the Hartford Institute's Best Nursing
Practices in Care of Older Adults Curriculum Guide (2001).
Strengths and weaknesses in meeting the Recommended Baccalaureate
Competencies and Curricular Guidelines for Geriatric Nursing
Care (AACN/ Hartford Foundation, 2000) were identified and
presented to faculty with suggestions for improvement. As
syllabi for courses to be offered in the community-based curriculum
were developed, a faculty member, certified as a gerontological
clinical nurse specialist, suggested specific points for infusing
geriatric content that were discussed and approved by all
faculty members, assuring that competent care of older adults
will be a more integral part of all future courses. A dedicated
course on aging, with a service-learning component, has also
been added to the junior year to further emphasize geriatrics
earlier in the program. Evaluation of courses in the community
based curriculum demonstrates a true integration of geriatric
content in both didactic and clinical experiences, leading
to positive results within the college and community.
2004 Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing
Award
St. Cloud State University (MN)
Joan Wilcox, MS, APRN, BC and Patricia Bresser, PhD, RN
Susan Johnson Warner, EdD, RN, Chair, Department of Nursing
Science
Abstract. The new baccalaureate nursing
program at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) offers an innovative
curriculum developed to meet the current and future health
needs of a changing society, including the needs of an aging
population. Introduction to gerontological nursing occurs
in the fall semester of junior year with a two-credit theory
course, Nursing Care of Older Adults, combined with a three-credit
clinical course. Student learning in clinical settings focuses
on healthy aging, and the role of the nurse in promotion and
restoration of health and harmony, prevention of illness,
and illness care of older adults. The clinical settings cross
multiple, diverse community and care environments and include:
the Ne-Ia-Shing Health Clinic on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
reservation, The Central Minnesota Nurse Managed Center, the
local Veterans Administration medical campus, an orthopedic
unit at a local hospital, elders' homes, and assisted living
sites in the community.
2004 Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Geriatric
Course Award
Duke University
Donald "Chip" Bailey Jr., PhD, RN
Catherine Gillis, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean
Abstract. The gerontological nursing
curriculum at Duke University School of Nursing, Accelerated
Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, prepares students to
provide evidenced-based quality care to older adults and their
families in long-term care settings and continuing care retirement
communities. The course uses the Evidence-Based Protocols
developed by The University of Iowa Gerontological Nursing
Interventions Research Center (GNIRC) to frame current scientific
understanding of specific geriatric syndromes and builds on
content from adult health, pathophysiology, physical assessment
and diagnostic reasoning, pharmacology and health promotion.
The protocols are introduced in class and an active teaching
environment uses expert faculty discussants to facilitate
student group presentations. Specifically, students present
content focused on the pathophysiology, current research,
clinical issues, and systems issues related to the specific
syndrome. The protocols are then implemented and evaluated
by dyads of students in the long-term care facility on two
consecutive clinical days during the semester. By the end
of the course, students have accumulated an experiential base
from which they can evaluate the introduction of evidence-based
protocols in the long-term care facility based on first-hand
observations and interactions with patients, staff, and faculty.
Faculty in the didactic portion of the course are advanced
practice nurses or doctorally prepared geriatric nurse scientist
and clinical faculty are gerontological advanced practice
nurses.
2004 Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Geriatric
Course Award
University of Rhode Island College of Nursing
Patricia Burbank, DNSc, RN
Dayle Joseph, EdD, RN, Dean
Abstract. In response to the AACN/Hartford
Foundation grant award, Enhancing Gerontological/ Geriatric
Nursing Education in the Undergraduate Curriculum, the University
of Rhode Island College of Nursing developed two new courses
in foundations of nursing care of older adults, one didactic
and one clinical. These were added in the spring of 2003 as
required courses at the sophomore level. Additionally, gerontological/geriatric
content and content in end-of-life care is systematically
integrated throughout the upper division nursing curriculum,
building on this foundation. These geriatric nursing courses
were developed based on Older Adults: Recommended Baccalaureate
Competencies and Curricular Guidelines for Geriatric Nursing
Care (AACN/ Hartford Institute, 2000) and include health promotion
content as well as specific content on health care needs of
older adults and strategies to meet these needs. In addition
to traditional teaching methods, the didactic course includes
special attention to examination of ethical issues and attitudes
toward aging through student debates. Students in the clinical
course learn beginning psychomotor skills in a laboratory
setting before entering the clinical setting in a variety
of community and in-patient settings serving older adults.
Students have evaluated these new courses very positively
and improvement in student attitudes has been documented over
the course of each semester.
CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
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