| One purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions held by nursing educators in associate degree nursing programs of the actual and desired competencies of their new graduates, after six months of nursing practice, with the perceptions held by employers of new associate degree nursing graduates, after six months of practice, as to their actual and desired competencies in the care of elderly clients. A second purpose of the study was to identify the current status of gerontological nursing in the curriculum of associate degree nursing programs, both in terms of theoretical content and type and placement of clinical experiences.;A questionnaire was developed to survey selected associate degree nursing programs and selected acute and extended care employers of new associate degree registered nurses in six states: Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. Almost 91% of the 86 surveyed nursing programs responded, and 82% of 190 employers responded. The questionnaire contained items related to the role and preparation of the associate degree graduate in caring for elderly clients, statements related to actual and expected competencies of the graduates, demographic items, and for the nursing educators, questions related to gerontological content in the associate degree nursing curriculum.;Findings of the investigation included, but were not limited to: a significant difference was found between nursing educators and employers in their perceptions regarding the actual and expected competencies of associate degree graduates, following six months of nursing experience; differences were found between acute care and extended care employers; the majority of associate degree programs had increased their emphasis on gerontology in the past three years; the majority of programs surveyed indicated that over one-half of their clinical time is spent with elderly clients; and few faculty in associate degree nursing programs have graduate preparation in gerontological nursing. |
