Fairfield University Launches

Certificate In Geriatric Nursing

FAIRFIELD — This fall, the School of Nursing at Fairfield University is offering a Geriatric Nursing Certificate Program to address the critical need for education in the care of older adults.

The certificate in gerontological nursing is open to registered nurses and will partially qualify those with two years of experience to sit for the Gerontological Specialty Nursing Certificate examination provided by the American Nurse Credentialing Center. The credential provided by the center is a nationally recognized benchmark for excellence in geriatric nursing care, said Meredith Wallace, PhD, RN, assistant professor of nursing at Fairfield University.

The certificate program was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation. It is an eight-week course that will run Mondays from September 27 through November 22, from 5 to 7:30 pm, and will require approximately 24 contact hours of work.

Topics covered in the program include, the aging of America, assessing the elderly, pathopharmacological considerations in aging, legal and policy issues, common problems of aging and end of life care of the elderly.

The program is open to all interested nurses, but space is limited.

According to the federal government, Americans aged 65 and older will comprise more than 18 percent of the population in 2030, compared with only 12 percent in 1990. As healthcare has gotten more sophisticated, people with mortal illnesses are able to live longer, Dr Wallace said. That requires nurses to rise to the challenge of helping older patients manage chronic disease, she said.

Older patients are often not treated as aggressively as younger patients, Dr Wallace said, and there are many misconceptions that the care of older adults, such as they are difficult to work with and unappreciative of the healthcare they receive. “It’s not more difficult to work with older people,” Dr Wallace said. “It really is rewarding.”

Thanks to a grant from the Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Foundation, the program cost has been reduced to $350. For more information, call Meredith Wallace at 203-254-2719, or email mwallace@mail.Fairfield.edu.