An educational framework to support gerontological nursing education at the baccalaureate level

Building gerontological content into a nursing curriculum will help meet the rising nursing care needs of older adults. An educational framework used to support innovative teaching and learning strategies is presented. Using this framework, strategies for developing and teaching a new undergraduate nursing elective include exposure to and interactions with older adults, national conference attendance, and use of film to investigate issues of aging. A topical outline of the course, assignments, and additional teaching strategies are presented. To date, 58 students have reported high satisfaction and increased interest in gerontological nursing. Twenty-three percent of graduating nurses enrolled in this course and received specialty content in the care of older adults. Faculty satisfaction remained high. The innovative teaching strategies enhanced faculty and student engagement in course content. The successful use of these strategies should be considered for implementation in both elective and required courses that focus on gerontological nursing.