The impact of a gerontology nursing course with a service-learning component on student attitudes towards working with older adults: A mixed methods study.

A growing older adult population requires educational programs which prepare nursing students to care for and increase their interest in working with this population. Faculty at a large public university developed a course specific to gerontology to address this need, including designing a service-learning intervention entitled Aging is Very Personal. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of this course on student attitudes towards working with older adults. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, 79 students completed pre-course and post-course quantitative surveys and open-ended questions using the Senses Framework survey. Quantitative data were analyzed using a paired-sample t-test. Qualitative data were analyzed using Krippendorff's method of qualitative content analysis. Participants showed statistically significant positive changes in attitudes towards working with older adults on 11 of 15 items. Qualitative findings included 5 themes: acknowledgement of preconceptions prior to course; positive shift in perceptions about older adults; growing interest in working with older adults; appreciation of gerontological nursing as a highly skilled profession; and service-learning as a valuable opportunity to form connections with older adults. A designated course in gerontology with a service-learning component can markedly improve student attitudes towards working with older adults.