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Gerontology for Health Care Professionals CC
Education, Human Services and Criminal Justice Department | C.P.C.C. Career Pathway Certificate of Completion | 6 months
Learn to care for the elderly while using current medical skills with a Gerontology for Health Care Professionals certificate from Clackamas Community College.
The field of gerontology is the study of aging, and those who enter it work to give support, guidance and social service to the elderly when needed most. Learn how, with the Gerontology for Health Care Professionals certificate, perfect for those already with a background in health care, but looking to gain expertise in gerontology.
Gerontology for Health Care Professionals CC
You will develop some exciting new skills in this program. Among these new skills, you should be able to:
- Apply current theories in gerontology to their field of practice
- Provide care to older adults using gerontological concepts
- Differentiate between normal aging and disease processes associated with aging, especially chronic illness and dementia
- Provide support to older adults grieving a loss (including the death of a loved one)
- Discuss the impact of aging on patient care in the allied health fields
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PROGRAM CODE: CC.GERHLCAREPRO
The need for nurses to be better prepared for caring for our aging population has been highlighted by the National League for Nursing (NLN) 2012, The Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing (1996), The Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2012, Healthy People 20-20 and myriad other nursing organizations. Currently, the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) requires students receive Older Adult content in NRS-110 Foundations of Nursing - Health Promotion, and then the assumption is that as the curricula address the lifespan of an individual, that more gerontology content is included throughout the program. Although this may be the case, it is up to each individual college and then each individual instructor to determine when and how much gerontology content to include. This career pathway certificate will address the need for students in nursing and other health sciences programs (such as Medical Assistant, and Emergency Medical Technology) to have the background and knowledge to work with the aging population.PROGRAM OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- apply current theories in gerontology to their field of practice;
- apply gerontological concepts to practice settings working with older adults;
- differentiate between normal aging and disease processes associated with aging, especially chronic illness and dementia;
- provide support to older adults grieving a loss (including the death of a loved one) by utilizing knowledge and skills of grief and bereavement;
- discuss the impact of aging on patient care in the allied health fields.
