Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Mary Anne A. Ramirez

Abstract

AbstractAn ongoing increase in the number of older adults means an increased need for specialized health care, creating, in turn, a need for an increase in nurses in the United States to meet the demand. However, there is a problem in that nursing graduates, from the time they are students, do not choose geriatric-gerontological nursing (GN) as is practiced in long-term care and some specialty areas or units. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore nursing graduates’ perceptions of GN as a field for professional practice and to determine how interest in GN may be encouraged. The framework used for this study was Jean Watson’s theory of caring in nursing, which pinpoints care factors as the foundation for nursing science. The research questions explored nursing graduates’ attitudes about aging and caring for the elderly, along with perceptions of GN as a choice for a field for professional practice. Data were obtained from interviews with 12 registered nurses and the criteria for inclusion into the study included that they completed a baccalaureate or an associate degree program in the last decade. Data were analyzed by identifying recurring codes and themes. Key results included that most participants had positive attitudes toward older persons. Participants commonly noted, though, that they did not choose GN for practice because of perceptions that GN as a profession included deficiencies in systems and policies that contribute to the neglect of older persons. A position paper project with recommendations was designed for nursing educators to prepare them in strategies for promoting interest in GN. This study will contribute to positive social change by informing efforts in nursing education to provide an adequate base of nurses to deliver health care for older adults, with corresponding benefit to the quality of life of older persons.

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