Increasing nursing students' interest on working with aged patients

The Tuckman-Lorge Attitude questionnaire, which measures stereotypes and misconceptions about the aged, was administered to 311 baccalaureate nursing students who were also asked to indicate their relative preferences for various fields of specialization within nursing and their preferences for working with child, adult, and elderly patients. The study was designed to examine factors--a two-semester course in human development and aging, visits with a physically "well" older person living in the community, attitudes toward the aged, and several biographic factors--associated with increased interest in working with elderly patients. Findings included: Students showed minimal interest in working in nursing homes; they preferred to work with child and adult patients. The more stereotyped their thinking about the aged, the greater their interest in working with ederly patients. Students who previously worked in a nursing home or convalescent hospital showed greater willingness to work with elderly patients. The authors suggest that schools of nursing include gerontology in their curriculums and that nursing students be provided with clinical experience in institutions for the aged to acquaint them with, and to encourage interest in, this increasingly important field of specialization.