Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI)

Preparing the Nursing Profession to Care for the Growing Number of Older Adults
www.HGNI.org

Our health care system serves a large-and growing-population of older adults. Today, people over 65 represent 60% of all ambulatory adult primary care visits, 80% of all home care visits, about 50% of inpatient care, and 85% of residents in nursing homes. As the Baby Boom ages, these percentages are only expected to rise.

The well-documented nursing crisis threatens the quality of this care, now and in the future. As many as 90% of nursing homes report an insufficient number of nurses to provide even the most basic care, and some home health agencies are now forced to refuse new admissions. More broadly, research from the federal Department of Health and Human Resources estimates the need for an additional 110,000 registered nurses to meet current demand in our health care system. By 2020, demand for qualified nurses is projected to outstrip supply by 20%, or about 400,000 RN's nationwide.

As we seek to train more nurses, we must ensure these professionals are prepared to provide for the unique needs of older patients. This is a serious issue. Today, fewer than 1% of all RNs are certified as gerontological nurses. Only 3% of advanced practice nurses are certified in geriatrics. Fewer than one out of four bachelor's-level nursing programs have a required course in geriatrics.

To address these challenges, the Geriatric Nursing Initiative, sponsored by the John A. Hartford Foundation, is fueling a nationwide effort to prepare the nursing profession to meet the health needs of a growing number of older adults. This Initiative has five strategies:

• Enhancing professional education;
• Designing new ways to organize nursing practice;
• Promoting needed research;
• Developing academic and professional leaders; and
• Informing the public debate about issues that affect older Americans' health care.

HGNI - PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSING: BUILDING ACADEMIC GERIATRIC NURSING CAPACITY

This multi-faceted program has created five centers of excellence, funded scholars, and established additional investment schools to foster leadership, research and best practice models to build geriatric excellence in the nursing profession.
Program Director: Claire Fagin, PhD, RN, FAAN
Contact: Patty Franklin, pfrankli@aanet.org
Web site: www.geriatricnursing.org

Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence:

Oregon Health Sciences University School of Nursing
Director: Patricia Archbold, DNSc, RN, FAAN

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing
Director: Claudia Beverly, PhD, RN, FAAN

University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
Director: Jeannie Kayser-Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN

University of Iowa College of Nursing Director: Meridean Maas, PhD, RN, FAAN

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Director: Neville Strumpf, PhD, RN, FAAN

Geriatric Nursing Scholars

This program annually offers substantial financial support and leadership development over two years to pre-doctoral, post-doctoral and nursing MBA scholars committed to enhancing geriatric nursing.
Contact: Patty Franklin, pfrankli@aanet.org
Web site: www.geriatricnursing.org

Nursing School Geriatric Investment Program

This effort is strengthening the geriatric programs and leadership capacity of seven schools of nursing as part of the Initiative's broader effort to advance the quality of health care for older adults.
Contact: Patty Franklin, pfrankli@ana.org
Web site: www.geriatricnursing.org/nsgip

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF NURSING

AACN administers two complementary HGNI programs. The first supports gerontology curriculum development and new clinical experiences in baccalaureate and advanced practice nursing programs. The second, the Creating Careers program, awards scholarship monies to schools of nursing to expand opportunities for students to establish a career in geriatric advanced practice nursing.
Executive Director: Geraldine Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN
Web site: www.aacn.nche.edu

Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education for Baccalaureate and Advanced Practice Nursing

This program supports gerontology curriculum development and new clinical experiences in 20 baccalaureate and 10 graduate schools of nursing. The grant assists nursing schools to adapt their curricula based upon national gerontological nursing education and practice standards.
Contact: Deirdre Thornlow, dthornlo@aacn.nche.edu
Web site: www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/enhancing.htm

Creating Careers in Geriatric Advanced Practice Nursing

This project has awarded scholarship monies to 23 schools of nursing to expand opportunities for nursing students to choose a career in geriatric advanced practice nursing.
Contact: Deirdre Thornlow, dthornlo@aacn.nche.edu
Web site: www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/enhancing.htm

THE JOHN A. HARTFORD FOUNDATION INSTITUTE FOR GERIATRIC NURSING

As the John A. Hartford Foundation's initial commitment to nursing, the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing is the only nurse-led institute in the country seeking to improve the quality of the nation's health care for older Americans. The Hartford Institute has developed partnering programs, models, and resources to positively influence both the individual nurse's competence and the systems in which nurses learn and work.
Directors:
Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN
Contact: Elaine Gould, elaine.gould@nyu.edu
Web site: www.hartfordign.org