(Posted 11-12-99)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Service Contact: Deborah Durkee, 336-334-5371

NURSING PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR

GREENSBORO--The aging of America has required a change in the focus of nursing education, and the gerontology program in the School of Nursing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has received national recognition in that area.

The school received one of three Awards for Exceptional Curriculum in Gerontologic Nursing from the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The honors were presented at the semi-annual meeting of AACN in Washington, D.C., in October.

"These awards honor models of excellence that encourage the highest standards for preparing nurses to deliver quality care to the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population," said AACN President Andrea R. Lindell. "Geriatric care skills will increasingly become part of every nurse's repertoire." Runner-up honors were shared with the University of Maryland.

"We are delighted to be able to foster and showcase nursing schools in the forefront of meeting their responsibilities to adequately prepare students through outstanding geriatric curricula," said Mathy Mezey, professor of nursing education and director of the Hartford Institute at NYU.

The School of Nursing at UNCG has required and elective gerontology courses which use a variety of Web-based activities to stimulate student learning.

"These activities challenge students to examine their attitudes toward aging and encourage critical thinking about aging issues," said Dr. Lynne Pearcey, dean of the School of Nursing at UNCG.

Student clinical experiences occur in nursing homes, retirement centers, subsidized housing and acute care centers. The focus is on high-level wellness, the older person's individual strengths, and supports of the aging network in the community. Students pair with six to eight elders in the community for a semester, thereby having the opportunity to access individuals in depth and over time.

The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU seeks to shape the quality of the health care elderly Americans receive by promoting the highest level of competency in nurses who deliver that care. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing, representing more than 500 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide.

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