The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an array of geriatric and gerontological nursing opportunities for students and practicing nurses.
Baccalaureate Level Geriatric Nursing
Graduate
Level Geriatric Nursing
Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education in Geriatric Nursing
Continuing Education for Geriatric Nursing
Baccalaureate Level Geriatric Nursing
At the baccalaureate level, geriatric nursing content is integrated into the curriculum. Students are offered clinical rotations in the acute care, long-term care and community settings to care for older adults. Geriatric clinical simulations are used in several courses to help students develop their geriatric nursing competencies. Online modules are available for students to develop skills in interviewing older adults. Many members of the faculty and adjunct faculty specialize in the care of older adults and work with students to design honor's projects and independent studies to create rich geriatric nursing educational experiences. An elective, Healthy Aging, is offered in the spring semester for undergraduate students.
Graduate Level Geriatric Nursing
Graduate students are able to enroll in an interdisciplinary Certificate in Aging. Clinical rotations that develop advanced practice geriatric nursing knowledge and skills are also available. Students interested in conducting research with older adults can work as research assistants on current research studies conducted by faculty members and they can also conduct independent research for their master's thesis or doctoral dissertations. Masters' students also have a non-thesis option and write a scholarly paper on a topic relevant to aging adults.
Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education in Geriatric Nursing
An elective course offered in Spring 2008, Issues in Gerontological Research, is available to doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows. This course explores conceptual and methodological issues that arise when conducting research with older adults. Several doctoral students have had a John A. Hartford Foundation fellowship that has helped them develop their geriatric nursing knowledge and leadership skills. See this site for more information.
In addition, the School of Nursing has two fellowship opportunities: (1) Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness, and (2) Health Care Quality and Patient Outcomes. These fellowships are available to pre- and post- doctoral students interested in pursuing a career in geriatric research. More information is located here.
Continuing Education for Geriatric Nursing
Continuing education opportunities are available for the practicing nurse. Nurse managers can enroll for a Certificate in Executive Nursing Leadership in Long-Term Care Clinical Nursing Institute. Another program, Long Term Care Clinical Nursing Institute, is available in November 2007. See Continuing Education Department website for more information.
Nurses can also earn contact hours in geriatric nursing using the Center of Geriatric Clinical Simulation online library of cases. These cases focus on acute conditions, illnesses or events that can place an older adult at-risk of further co-morbidity or hospitalization. These cases are located here.
UNC Chapel Hill is committed to high-quality life-long learning and helping students to create meaningful educational experiences.
