A survey of gerontological curricula in Canada generic baccalaureate nursing programs

1. This study surveyed the status of gerontological curricula in the Canadian generic baccalaureate nursing programs--and the opinions of provincial "experts"--on the requirements of gerontological nursing to determine how nurses are or should be prepared to meet the health care needs of aging Canadians. 2. Questions were formulated to explore the following issues: nursing models used by the schools, faculty preparation, integration of gerontological nursing content, curriculum content, and gerontological clinical experiences required. 3. The study indicated the following: students were not introduced to a consistent philosophy of health for the older client in either the academic or clinical setting; 5% of the faculty had a master's or doctorate with a focus in gerontology; 2.5% of the students chose a gerontological nursing practicum in their last year; 69% of the 49 listed topics were taught in an integrated manner; and 7.4% of the clinical hours had a gerontological focus. 4. The experts recommended the following: 53% of the topics be integrated and that 47% of the topics be taught in a specific course; patient care problems and techniques receive more emphasis in the clinical area; 21% of the clinical hours concentrate on gerontological nursing; and clinical experiences occur in a variety of health care settings to illustrate the elderly's coping abilities to achieve a sense of well-being.