The gerontological nursing fellowship: a program to prepare registered nurses for national certification.

The aged population is expanding while the availability of nurses to care for hospitalized elderly people is shrinking. Additionally, care for older persons is complex, requiring specific knowledge. The gerontological nursing fellowship is an effort to assist professional nursing staff in meeting the quantitative and qualitative needs of aged patients as well as to prepare nurses for the ANA certification examination. Developed and coordinated by an ANA-certified, master's-prepared clinical nurse specialist, the program is unique in that it utilizes a didactic and clinical education format. The fellowship is expected to profoundly affect geriatric patient care outcome, prepare nurses for national certification, and enhance recruitment and retention of nurses.