Strengthening Geriatric Content in an Associate Degree Nursing Program: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study was to strengthen geriatric content in an associate degree nursing 1st semester freshman fundamentals course and evaluate changes in the scores related to students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. A quasi-experimental within-subject pretest–posttest design was utilized. The Facts on Aging Quiz and Multifactorial Attitude Survey were used to assess knowledge and attitudes of 22 nursing students at the beginning and end of the semester. Although there was no significant statistical increase in knowledge, there was an overall increase in knowledge. Three of the 20 statements showed a statistically significant increase in attitude. The results of this study may be helpful for education and practice in providing appropriate education to associate degree nursing students in the care of older adults.