New York, NY: The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University (NYU) College of Nursing has launched a revised gerontological certification review course for nurses who intend to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Gerontological Nursing Certification Examination. The course is designed for nurses who care for older adults in hospitals, nursing homes, or home care settings and is useful to any practicing nurse, nurse faculty, or student wanting to acquire fundamental knowledge of geriatric nursing care. The course can be accessed at the Web site http://hartfordign.org/continuing_ed/cert_review/.
Organized to reflect the revised ANCC examination, the Gerontological Nursing Certification Review Course is updated with new, state-of-the-science material addressing key clinical information and issues central to caring for the highly specialized needs of older adults. It also reviews financial, social, political, and cultural issues that affect nursing care for the elderly.
"The major health care crisis of the twenty-first century is the shortage of health care personnel needed to care for the rapidly growing population of older adults," says NYU College of Nursing clinical associate professor Carolyn Auerhahn, EdD, GNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, the project director, course editor, and associate director of the Hartford Institute. "For most nurses working in hospitals, the majority of patients are over 65, yet most nurses have not received adequate training in the specific ways that older adults respond to illness and treatment. Nurses must have up-to-date information to provide quality comprehensive care to their patients."
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing has long promoted gerontological certification for nurses. In addition to ensuring competent care for elders, certification validates the nurse as a credible geriatric resource for his or her supervisors, physicians, and colleagues. It instills competence that is transferable to other job settings and often provides opportunities for professional advancement and compensation.
The course is based on a nine-module design consistent with the topics included in the ANCC Gerontological Nurse Certification Examination test outline:
Module 1: Epidemiology, theories of aging, financial, political, social, legal and ethical issues
Module 2: Nursing theories, models of gerontological care, standards and scopes of practice, research, quality improvement
Module 3: Health promotion, age-related changes, and health issues: integumentary and sensory disorders
Module 4: Health issues: cardiovascular, respiratory
Module 5: Health issues: endocrine, immunological, hematological
Module 6: Health issues: gastrointestinal, genitourinary
Module 7: Health issues: neurological, musculoskeletal
Module 8: Nutrition, pain, end-of-life care, elder mistreatment
Module 9: Medication issues, patient education, communication.
The Gerontological Nursing Certification Review Course was revised based on a 2-day workshop created by Sharon Stahl Wexler, PhD, RN-BC. It is designed for self-paced study; the estimated time for completion is 10 hours. To access the course users must register with the Hartford Institute Web site. The cost of the course is $150 for 10 contact hours, and the continuing education certificate is available to print online. Discounts are available for educational institutions and hospitals participating in the Hartford Institute's NICHE program.
Contact [email protected] for more information.