Development of core competencies and a recognition program for gerontological nursing educators

Despite efforts to implement learner competencies in gerontological nursing, a significant knowledge-attitude disassociation remains, with few students interested in pursuing careers in the care of older adults. One reason may be the lack of well-qualified faculty who can design engaging learning experiences with older adults and serve as positive role models for aging care. In response, the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence commissioned the development of core competencies and a recognition program for educators in gerontological nursing. The goal of these competencies is to promote quality instruction in the care of older adults by describing a set of preferred skills characterizing faculty teaching gerontological content to nursing and interprofessional learners. These educator-focused competencies can guide individual career development for new and current educators who specialize in teaching about the care of older adults. They provide direction for selecting well-prepared individuals for gerontological nursing teaching positions and evaluating educator role performance. This paper describes the development of seven core competencies for nurse educators who teach in academic and professional development programs, as well as criteria for their recognition. An iterative development process was used to define the core competencies, along with descriptions and exemplars of each domain.