Hartford Institute Promotes Certification to Ensure Highest Quality Care of Older Adults
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU College of Nursing has launched a revised gerontological certification review course for nurses who intend to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Centers Gerontological Nurse 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: http://hartfordign.org/continuinged/certreview/.
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 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 transferrable to other job settings and often provides opportunities for professional advancement and compensation.
The courses nine-module design is 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 two-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 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 Institutes NICHE program. Contact certreview@hartfordign.org for more information.
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU College of Nursing seeks to shape the quality of health care that older Americans receive by promoting the highest level of geriatric competency in all nurses who deliver care. By raising the standards of nursing care, the Hartford Institute aims to ensure that people age in comfort and dignity. Its initiatives include education, practice, research, and policy.