Abstract
Background
Meeting the complex health needs of an increasing number of older people is a critical
workforce challenge for the Australian health and aged care sectors. Nurses are the
largest group of registered health care professionals and fundamental to delivering
health and aged care in Australia. However, while nursing students encounter increasing
numbers of older people in all health and aged care settings, little is known about
how they are educationally prepared to care for them.
Aim
To investigate the curriculum content and method of teaching the care of older people
in Australian Bachelor of Nursing degrees.
Methods
A population sample of all Australian nursing schools offering Bachelor of Nursing
degrees. Nurse academics involved in subject coordination or curriculum development
were recruited. A telephone-assisted survey explored ‘the care of older people’ in
Australian undergraduate nursing curricula. Descriptive statistical analyses were
undertaken.
Results
The response rate was 100%. Curricula were acute care focused with content specific
to the care of older people scaffolded across curricula. A variety of teaching and
learning methods were reported. Clinical experiences with older people occurred in
residential aged care settings, generally in the first year of the degree.
Conclusions
Preparation of pre-registration nurses for the care of older people requires improvement
in curricula content and clinical experience to equip graduates to provide safe, person-centred
care that meets the needs of older Australians.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 27, 2022
Accepted:
February 27,
2022
Received in revised form:
February 21,
2022
Received:
September 8,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
