Jones Jacqueline, Kotthoff-Burrell Ernestine, Kass-Wolff Jane, Brownrigg Vicki
College of Nursing, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado.
Beth El College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2015 Dec;27(12):698-706. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12230. Epub 2015 Mar 13.
With a shortage of primary care providers prepared to care for an aging U.S. population, nurse practitioner (NP) programs are integrating gerontological content. This qualitative descriptive study explored NP graduate perceptions on the adequacy of their education to prepare them to care for seniors.
Twenty-three graduates of NP program options at two universities in the western U.S. participated in focus group discussions or interviews. Participants shared their perceptions of their NP educational preparation and suggestions for enhancing gerontologic curriculum.
Four main domains emerged from analysis of qualitative data: (a) "Getting your boots on and getting into the role"; (b) "Older people are more complex than we were prepared to care for"; (c) "It is very different as a provider, but I am so glad I was a nurse with experience first"; (d) "NPs have a scope of practice, physician assistants (PAs) have a job description-but I wish we had their [procedural] preparation."
Graduates identified a need for more educational content and clinical experiences specific to the care of older adults. Some suggested a postgraduate residency or mentoring option to assist NP role transition and progression and limit role confusion.
由于准备照顾美国老龄人口的初级保健提供者短缺，执业护士（NP）项目正在纳入老年医学内容。这项定性描述性研究探讨了NP毕业生对其教育是否足以让他们为老年人提供护理的看法。
美国西部两所大学的23名NP项目毕业生参加了焦点小组讨论或访谈。参与者分享了他们对NP教育准备的看法以及对加强老年医学课程的建议。
对定性数据的分析得出了四个主要领域：（a）“脚踏实地，进入角色”；（b）“老年人比我们准备照顾的更为复杂”；（c）“作为提供者非常不同，但我很高兴我首先是一名有经验的护士”；（d）“NP有执业范围，医师助理（PA）有工作职责——但我希望我们有他们那样的[操作]准备”。
毕业生们指出需要更多针对老年人护理的教育内容和临床经验。一些人建议设立研究生住院医师项目或指导选项，以帮助NP进行角色转换和职业发展，并减少角色混乱。
