Expanding the Teaching-Nursing Home Culture in the State of Illinois
Project Description
Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University and Heritage Enterprises collaborated on a project, “Expanding the Teaching-Nursing Home Culture in the State of Illinois,” that has been funded by a five-year, $1.48 million grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The grant money is funding a demonstration project to provide standardized orientation and continuing education in geriatric care best practices for new nurses hired by Heritage Enterprises nursing homes across Illinois. The funding will also support the development of a graduate program focus in gerontology nursing at Mennonite College of Nursing.
The program will serve as a model of nursing partnership efforts between academia and practice settings to address recruitment and retention, and could eventually be adopted by other nursing homes in Illinois.
Goals
- Improve professional cultural attractiveness of nursing homes by developing and facilitating use of standardized best practices in care of older adults
- New nurse mentoring activities, technology-based nurse orientation and preceptor program
- Experienced nurse CEU activities that are technology-based, eligibility to take Gerontological Nurse Certification Examination, other educational opportunities via National Speaker Event and LTC Career Fair & Seminar
- Improve professional cultural career attractiveness of working with older adults through mentoring and learning experiences that provide a holistic approach to complex care of nursing home residents
- Innovative clinical and mentoring experiences for nursing students, National Speaker Event and LTC Career Fair and Seminar
- Facilitate collaborate partnerships between nursing schools and nursing homes in the state of Illinois by developing a model blueprint and showcasing the Heritage and Mennonite College of Nursing collaborative demonstration grant, and mentoring nursing schools and nursing homes in establishing and maintaining such partnerships
- Developing a self-study for nursing home readiness to accept nursing students for clinical experiences
- Assist nursing homes in developing a plan for their facility for the purpose of attracting nursing programs to engage in collaborative partnerships
- Initiate and facilitate development of a Community College Consortium designed to mentor these nursing schools in creating partnerships with nursing homes and to mentor AD nursing graduates to seek baccalaureate education and careers in caring for older adults
- Produce Registered Nurses with a Masters of Science in Nursing degree with a Gerontology specialty
- Support development of a graduate program focus in gerontology nursing at Mennonite College of Nursing
Continuing Education Modules
View Modules Here
Nurses
Opportunity to acquire Continuing Education credits on Elder Care Practice to:
1. Ensure best practices of nursing care by all nursing professionals
2. Preparation for the certification in geriatrics examination
Module Framework:
- Content Outline
- Learning Objectives
- Interactive Narration
- Dynamic Media
- Post –Test
- Evaluation
Content of modules is derived from the AmericanNurses Credentialing Center as the guidelines for elder care and applicable for the geriatric certification examination. Continuing education credits will be awarded to nurses as they participate in the web-based learning modules. Scholarships are available to support Heritage nurses who sit for the geriatric certification exam. Topics chosen for the continuing education credits are according to pertinent areas of study defined by the content on the geriatric certification examination.
Grant Team Staff
Sara L. Campbell, DNS, RN, CNAA, BC
Principal Investigator
Charlene Aaron, RN, MSN
Project Coordinator
Elizabeth Objartel, RN, MSN
Project RN
Isaac T. Akins III, BS
Multimedia Web Developer
Annrika Campbell
Secretary
