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Health
Professions in Geriatrics
Project
During
the summer of 2000, RIGEC and the
University of Rhode Island (URI) Urban
Field Center (UFC) joined in a
collaborative partnership to reach out to
high school students to encourage interest
in health professions in geriatrics and
gerontology. Nineteen students from Mt.
Pleasant and Hope High Schools in
Providence, Rhode Island and the William
E. Toleman and Charles E. Shea Senior High
Schools in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
completed the five-week "Health
Professions in Geriatrics Research
Project." The program provided the
students with a total of 87.5 hours
focused on health careers in geriatrics.
The curriculum for the program was
developed by RIGEC Associate Director
Marie Leinhaas, LICSW, RIGEC and URI
College of Nursing faculty member Cynthia
Padula, PhD, RN, and Kathleen A. Dodge,
Coordinator of the Urban Field
Center.
Project
Activities
The students met five days a week for 3
hours per day. Daily classroom sessions
were designed to encourage critical
thinking, creativity, cooperation and
interpersonal communication skills. The
content was specifically designed to offer
students the knowledge and skills needed
to plan and conduct a research project,
and to summarize the project in the form
of a research report. A wide variety of
topics was covered over the course of the
program, including: steps in the research
process; how groups function successfully;
development of a survey tool; review of
basic computer skills; and concepts of
process writing. Both group and
independent activities were an integral
part of the program, and students
completed a computer journal in which they
recorded what they had learned during that
day.
In
the second week of the program, students
visited various community field sites,
including adult day programs, senior
centers, community centers, and nursing
homes. Using surveys and a questionnaire
developed in groups, students interviewed
community-residing seniors in such places
as local malls and the senior aquatics
program at URI. The survey questions
spanned a wide range of topics: seniors'
music preferences; their activity levels
and types of activities in which they
engage; how seniors feel about the world
today; what they feel is the biggest
problem facing seniors; and questions
regarding their level of concern about
sexually transmitted diseases among
seniors. The students also interviewed a
wide variety of health professionals,
including opticians, nurses, occupational
therapists, physical therapists,
nutritionists, pharmacists, and health
care administrators.
RIGEC
faculty members from the fields of
gerontology, pharmacy, social work,
nursing, and medicine conducted weekly
lecture sessions with the students. The
purpose of these sessions was to acquaint
students with the diverse career
opportunities available in the field of
gerontology and geriatrics as well as to
provide detailed information related to
selected health disciplines. The sessions
were informal, with discussion and
questions encouraged.
During
the faculty lectures, students were
encouraged to pursue the opportunity to
"shadow" health professionals in their
career of interest. These opportunities
are viewed as essential in facilitating
interested students' realistic perceptions
about and interest in careers in health
and geriatrics.
For
the final element of the project, students
were charged with the development of a
final report that demonstrated four
specific outcomes: (1) their ability to
identify careers in geriatric health care
and administration, (2) their knowledge
about the educational requirements of
those careers and their potential economic
benefits, (3) their sensitivity to the
needs of the elderly, and (4) their
participation in community activities that
serve elders. The result was a bound
document the students titled Teens
on Senior Stereotypes (TOSS).
Filled with engaging graphics, original
artwork, and color photographs of the
students, senior citizens, and some of the
health professionals they encountered, the
report illustrates the students' teamwork,
writing, layout, and computer skills. An
introduction to the project is followed by
interviews, surveys, and narratives on
geriatric career opportunities, ageism,
and medical issues facing the elderly,
interwoven with the students' own personal
thoughts and feelings.
From
the project director's and staff
perspectives, the final report provided
the students as well as staff with a
tangible outcome of the summer program:
something to show with pride to parents
and teachers and a way to keep the
information available for and as a future
resource. We at RIGEC believe that this
report has the potential to serve as an
excellent resource for other GECs to use
in meeting the objective of encouraging
high schools students to pursue careers in
gerontology and geriatrics.
Project
Evaluation
Several mechanisms were used to
evaluate the effectiveness of the "Health
Professions in Geriatrics" program,
including student completion rates,
student evaluations, student shadowing,
director and faculty evaluations, and
evaluation of the final product. A plan
will also be proposed for long-term
follow-up.
In
an evaluation conducted on the final day,
57% of the students said they would
consider a career in geriatrics, l0%
definitely wanted to become nurses
specializing in geriatrics, and 33%
replied they probably would not consider a
geriatrics career. Most of the students
reported a change in the way that they
think about seniors. A sampling of student
responses is illustrated below.
"The
seniors know much more than I do."
"I learned to be more understanding
toward the elderly."
"I liked doing the surveys with the
elderly: it was great."
"The elders are so nice."
"I liked being with them and seeing
their reactions."
"I really loved when we were talking to
the seniors, interviewing them and the
staffs."
"I developed how to respect elders more
and love and admire them."
"I will use this in the future because
I may become a nurse who specializes in
geriatrics."
"My interest will not end with this
paper."
Ninety-three
percent of the students described the
program as useful for their college
preparation: when asked about specifics,
64% cited gaining skills in reading and
comprehension, 71% in writing, and 64% in
computer and research skills.
Based
on the successes of this pilot project,
plans for continuing the program are in
progress. Much has been learned from this
initial experience: perhaps one of the
most fruitful impacts was to have engaged
young people in the lives of so many
elderly, and for them to have truly
enjoyed as well as learned from that
experience. The decision to use an older
adult as the liaison between the UFC and
the GEC proved to be extremely beneficial.
This individual became an excellent role
model of positive aging for the students,
and a friend to many.
TOSS booklet
information
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