Overview: Building a United Front for Doctoral Programs in Nursing
Objective: To describe collaboration between two consortia in nursing that aim to enhance the education of health care providers in gerontology.
Rationale/Background: The purpose of this symposium is to discuss the impact and potential outcome of the collaborative agreement between The Nursing Education Exchange (NEXus) and the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE). The collaborative agreement was created to address issues of equity and access for students, faculty and institutions to educational programs in nursing that address healthcare concerns of older adults.
Approach: The interface of these two national endeavors is intended to: (a) increase course availability in Gerontology; (b) foster collaborative relationships between faculty and students in providing equity and access to services for older adults; and (c) encourage intra and inter-professional relationships that are responsive to new initiatives committed to transforming quality and safety in the care of older adults.
Outcome: A brief description of each of the partner consortia will be provided. The role of NEXus in building a united front in doctoral education addressing IOM goals as that role relates to promoting research, education and partnerships supporting equity and access to health care for older adults will be discussed.
Conclusion: Hartford sought collaboration with NEXus, an established institutional consortium, to expand its educational impact preparing health care providers in the care of older adults especially in rural communities.