Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Geriatric Care and Nursing Curriculum

BACKGROUND: The geriatric population in the United States is growing rapidly with an expected increase of 22% by 2040. Nursing students, however, consistently report negative attitudes toward caring for geriatric patients. PURPOSE: The purpose was to assess undergraduate nursing student perceptions of care for the geriatric population, how their nursing curriculum influenced these perceptions, and any perceived curricular changes, didactic or clinical, that could potentially improve students' preparedness and desire to seek a career in geriatric nursing. METHODS: Using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach, senior prelicensure nursing students completed a Likert-scale survey with additional open-ended questions to assess perceptions of geriatric care and how the current nursing curriculum relates to those perceptions. RESULTS: Quantitative data identified that most students believed the didactic curriculum prepared them for geriatric care but did not increase their desire to work with geriatric patients. Qualitative data identified negative stereotypes and clinical experiences and revealed a lack of desire for geriatric care. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of desire for geriatric care was the norm for participants. Geriatric care should be more heavily weighted in academics, and educators should develop innovative methods that increase the desire of prelicensure students to commit to care for the geriatric population.