Learning Objective #1: Identify three key issues concerning geriatric and gerontological nursing education in the U.S.

Learning Objective #2: Identify two trends in geriatric and gerontological nursing education in the U.S.

---

The focus of nursing is increasingly on care of healthy and frail elderly persons. This presentation is based on a study aimed at identifying geriatric and gerontological issues and trends in U.S. baccalaureate nursing education programs. A national survey of all accredited AACN baccalaureate nursing programs resulted in 202 responses. Results show that half of the respondents reported integrated geriatric/gerontological nursing and half had stand-alone geriatric/gerontological courses. Key issues from these results include: 1) faculty preparation related to geriatrics and gerontolgoy; 2) gaps in implementing the AACN Older Adults: Recommended Baccalaureate Competencis and Curriculuar Guidelines for Geriatric Nursing Care; and 3) the relevance in undergraduate curricula of the AACN Older Adults: Recommended Baccalaureate Competencis and Curricular Guidelines for Geriatric Nursing Care. Trends include planning to offer and continuing to offer stand-alone courses in geriatrics/gerontology. These results may be of interest to educators and researchers engage in curricular decisions concerning geriatric/gerontology nursing.