New MSN Program Will Train Nurses to Care for the Elderly
Dominican University of California is accepting applications for its second graduate nursing program, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Educator program. The program—supported by a $1,048,299 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation—will train students to become nurse educators with a specialty in geriatric nursing. As part of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant, Dominican will provide financial support in the form of “forgivable” loans if graduates agree to teach for a specified time in the five-county Bay Area. The loan amounts are from $5,000 to $10,000 and the graduate must work from three to five semesters in a clinical setting.
An acute shortage of nurses trained to care for the rapidly aging population and a diminished supply of nursing faculty able to train these professionals has led to a huge demand for both Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Educators.
“Dominican’s graduates will fill two critical roles in health care, that of the nursing instructor/nursing faculty and the nurse who specializes in care of the fastest growing U.S. cohort—the elderly,” says Barbara Ganley, MSN Program Director and Assistant Professor with Dominican University of California’s Department of Nursing.
“Studies show that geriatric nursing may be overlooked in traditional undergraduate nursing programs, even though 90 percent of registered nurses most frequently care for people over the age of 65. So, even when students are able to enroll in nursing education programs, this education does not address the overriding needs of the fastest growing population and those most likely to require nursing care—the older adult,” adds Dr. Ganley.
No other program in the San Francisco Bay Area combines the two specialties of educator and Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. “This unique combination offers a broad spectrum of career opportunities to our graduates,” notes Ganley
A study by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing found that
64.8 percent of responding schools reported lack of nursing faculty as the reason they must limit nursing student enrollment. According to Ingrid Sheets, MS, RN, Assistant Professor at Dominican University of California: “Not only do institutes of higher education require nurse educators, health care facilities and communities require patient, nurse, and staff educators. Along with the role of clinical specialist, leader, researcher, and consultant, educator is a primary focus of the Clinical Nurse Specialist.”
Dominican’s other MSN offering is the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Integrated Health Practice program. This 5-year-old program—with enrolled students who commute from as far away as Oregon—also prepares the graduate to support nursing education in many arenas.
Still, the need for nurses with a geriatric specialty is particularly acute in the Bay Area, where the population of individuals 60 years old and older increased significantly between 1990 and 2000. According the U.S. 2000 Census, 13.5 percent of Alameda County, 18 percent of Marin County, and 17.5 percent of San Francisco County were age 60 and older at the time of the report. The California Department of Aging projects that by 2030, the older population in the state will increase to 22 percent.
The MSN, Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Educator program is a 45-unit program offered on alternative weekends for five semesters (21 months). Designed for the adult learner, the goals of the program are to educate, develop, and increase the number of advanced practice nurses in the community. These nurses will be clinical experts in practice, diagnoses, planning, implementation, and evaluation of health practices in the older adult, their families, and their communities. “Dominican graduates will have the skill to teach undergraduate nursing students in clinical and classroom settings. They will provide the expert care needed by the geriatric population,” says Ganley.
Each MSN cohort group consists of about 15 students, which will build camaraderie and a strong support group. Because of the small size of the program, students will have direct access to faculty, which often is not possible in larger programs where teaching assistants may do much of the teaching and grading. The first class will graduate in May 2007.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation launched the Betty Irene Moore Nursing initiative in November 2003, with the goal of improving nursing-related patient outcomes in acute care hospitals. The initiative is focused in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. Funding strategies include increasing the quantity of registered nurses, improving clinical skills effectiveness, and promoting best practices for nursing care in the Bay Area.
The Foundation was established in September 2000 to create positive outcomes for future generations. The Foundation funds outcome-based grants and initiatives to achieve significant and measurable results. Grantmaking supports the Foundation’s principal areas of interest: global environmental conservation, science, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
