Clackamas Community College

Gerontology for Health Care Professionals, Career Pathway Certificate

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.

For information, contact Yvonne Smith, 503-594-3207 or yvonnes@clackamas.edu.