May/June Edition of Nursing Education Perspectives Devoted to Educating Students in Geriatric Care

Special Edition Offers Exciting Blend of Scholarship to Enhance Preparation of Nursing Workforce for Care of Older Adults in Range of Settings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY — June 21, 2012 — Nursing Education Perspectives, the National League for Nursing's respected peer-reviewed research journal, has published a special edition devoted to nursing education in the specialized and growing field of gerontology. The May/June issue of NEP, accessible online here, was guest edited by Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, APRN, A/GNP-BC, FAAN, a professor at Fairfield University School of Nursing and a leading scholar in geriatric care research and pedagogy. Dr. Kazer invited her own panel of peer reviewers, also known for their scholarship in the arena of geriatric care in nursing education.

The journals contents reflect the broad range of work being done in the academy to better prepare today's nursing students to step into a variety of clinical settings increasingly focused on the care of older adults, a growing segment of the population. These include nursing homes and sub-acute care facilities, as well as hospitals, including, critical care units, and emergency rooms.

Among the curricular innovations described by different authors are: implementation of ACES (Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors), the NLNs web-based model for teaching care of older adults to nursing students; improved integration of simulation and technology in developing instruction in quality and safety of patient care; experiential learning activities designed to heighten students appreciation of sensory changes experienced by older adults; engagement of students in clinical reasoning based on an understanding of older adults multi-faceted and dynamic physical and psycho-social health challenges; interprofessional service-learning via an academic-community partnership focused on falls prevention; life review as a strategy to dispel stereotypes of older adults; and study of dramatic, real-world events, such as the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, to educate students about global issues in aging.

Dr. Diana Skiba, Emerging Technologies editor for Nursing Education Perspectives, investigated an interesting question for nurse educators to consider in their instruction of geriatric care: How prevalent is the use of the Internet and smartphone technology among the aging, and how may these technologies be harnessed to maximize their health and safety?

"In publishing some of the latest, leading scholarship in geriatric nursing education, NEP has provided a tremendous service to programs across the spectrum of higher education, eager to broaden and update their curriculum and deepen their instruction in this increasingly important field of nursing education," said NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "We thank the Hartford, Hearst, and Independence Foundations, and Laerdal Medical for their support of our ACES program and of this special issue."

Added NLN president Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF: "On behalf of the League, I extend appreciation to NEP editor Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick and managing editor Leslie Block for their work in publishing this special issue, and sincere thanks to our guest editor, Dr. Kazer, scholars, and peer reviewers for its exceptional execution."

Editors and reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact NLN chief communications officer, Karen R. Klestzick at 212-812-0376 or kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 37,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations and agencies.