The challenges of educational program evaluation

The demand for fiscal restraint and accountability has forced health care facilities to carefully evaluate the benefits of new programs. Some time ago, the Long Term Care Nursing Department of Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto, Ontario, collaborated with Centennial College to provide a Gerontology Certificate Program to registered nurses. While originally conceived as a retention and recruitment strategy, it became obvious that such a program could and should have additional benefits to staff and long term care residents alike. This article describes the changes as indicated by three scales, and the benefits described by the registered nurses. It also illustrates, rather humorously, that even the more educated and experienced among us can make mistakes and learn from them!