Gerontological nursing program goes national

A $6.3 million funding boost will allow University of Canberra’s aged care clinical placement program to expand across eight universities.

An initiative supporting gerontological nursing students has received over $6 million to expand the nation-leading Clinical Placements with Older People program and bring in a new phase of the program, known as CPOP#2.

“We really do see this as an opportunity for students and staff to be recognised for what is an excellent career choice,” CPOP program lead Dr Kasia Bail told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Dr Kasia Bail (supplied)

“We haven’t always had the same opportunities in terms of recognition and support, and we’re just so excited that both the staff that are in aged care [and] the clinical facilitators are getting additional support, as well as the students, to really be able to enjoy and thrive in that aged care work environment,” said Dr Bail, a professor of gerontological nursing at the University of Canberra.

The $6.3 million was awarded through a Commonwealth tender process and is part of a larger $18.4 million boost the government has provided for nursing students in aged care.

The money will allow the program to expand to the University of the Sunshine Coast, Edith Cowan University, Curtin University, the University of Sydney, Southern Cross University, Central Queensland University, the University of Tasmania and numerous health service partners across the country.

“Each university interprets how they apply the CPOP program slightly differently because we all have different curriculums and different ways of working with industry partners, so we’ll be taking the lead from the gerontological nursing professors that they have in each of those universities,” said Dr Bail.

Nursing students in aged care currently receive support to do a minimum of 800 hours of clinical placements during their degree, but the CPOP#2 program will emphasise the quality and quantity of aged care placements.

“Traditionally, students would go out in their first year to an aged care placement, and they might be supported by assistants in nursing or enrolled nurses and not necessarily see what registered nurses do,” Dr Bail told AAA.

“So this is supporting the students in their second and third year, their final years of the program, to be taking on those leadership roles.

“It’s often a lot of mentoring, leadership and management of all the staff in running a facility, as well as managing the complex comorbidities, the escalation of care pathways, acute dying, complex behavioral needs, all that richness of older person nursing that happens in multiple places.”

CPOP gives students an opportunity to use their skill sets from acute care and community care to build a workforce that can respond to the ageing population, said Dr Bail, as well as provide continuity of care. She told AAA that the nursing students frequently give positive feedback about getting to provide person-centered care, and developing longer-standing relationships to better support and advocate for people, which is not always possible in a hospital or clinical placement setting.

The other organisations receiving funding to deliver the Aged Care Nursing Clinical Placements Program is the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, Pop-Up Health, Hunter Primary Care and Brightwater Care Group.

Anika Wells (Office of Anika Wells)

Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said the $18 million investment would give an additional 8,000 nursing students the opportunity to experience providing quality care to older people.

“During 2023-24, we supported over 2,000 students to build these specialised skills through high quality, on-the-job, training and the ability to better understand and address the unique health needs of older people in care,” she said.

“Our continued support of this program demonstrates the Albanese Government’s commitment to attracting nurses to aged care and building a skilled and supported workforce to meet the needs and rights of older people.”

First phase of CPOP a resounding success

The first phase of the UC-led CPOP program was a four-university consortium that also included the University of Wollongong, Edith Cowen University and Curtin University, supporting 1,016 placements and upskilling 127 clinical facilitators in 913 different health service locations.

University of the Sunshine Coast’s Professor Victoria Traynor, who developed the Gerontological Nursing Competencies on which CPOP is based, said the first phase of the program had proven a resounding success in its ability to cultivate a love and respect for the specialisation of gerontological nursing.

“This project provides invaluable opportunities to show case the extensive scope of practice required in gerontological nursing,” Professor Traynor said.

“Often, the career opportunities within gerontological nursing go unrecognised. This project provides students with expert facilitation across community, acute and residential aged care workplace and clinical practice experiences, to demonstrate the extensive range of skills required by gerontological nurses.”

CPOP#2 is embedded in the Centre for Ageing Research and Translation at UC and is comprised of a cross-disciplinary team of researchers with a focus on multicomponent care, digital and assistive technology, the connection between person and place, and a knowledge translation approach – all to maximise impact on policy and practice for community benefit.

“We’re trying to highlight excellence,” Dr Bail told AAA. “We have awards for the students and we also have awards for the registered nurses, which we call preceptors, who the nursing students get buddied with out in the field.

“We know that they’re often doing excellent work, and they’re often behind closed doors and behind curtains and the students are the ones who are fortunate enough to get to work with them and they can then recommend those excellent nurses for awards, both in supporting their student placement, but also in supporting quality older person care,” said Professor Bail.

“We’re excited to be able to share this initiative with people on the ground, and all those industry partners that are doing such beautiful work in providing quality care for older people.”

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Tags: aged-care, central queensland university, Centre for Ageing Research and Translation, CPOP, curtin university, dr kasia bail, edith cowan university, gerontological nursing, gerontology, southern cross university, university of canberra, university of sydney, University of Tasmania, university of the sunshine coast, victoria traynor,

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